Seaport Res Ptn Has Negative Forecast for Stepan Q1 Earnings

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Seaport Res Ptn dropped their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for Stepan in a note issued to investors on Monday, April 21st. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now anticipates that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $0.52 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.54. The consensus estimate for Stepan's current full-year earnings is $3.55 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Stepan's Q2 2025 earnings at $0.85 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $2.97 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $4.57 EPS.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.33). The firm had revenue of $525.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $520.97 million. Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.33 earnings per share.

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Stepan from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th.

Stepan Stock Performance

NYSE SCL traded down $0.21 on Wednesday, reaching $48.03. The stock had a trading volume of 20,365 shares, compared to its average volume of 114,635. The stock has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.73 and a beta of 0.97. The business's 50-day moving average price is $54.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $64.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.21. Stepan has a 12-month low of $44.23 and a 12-month high of $94.77.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.385 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. Stepan's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.68%.

Insider Activity at Stepan

In other news, Director Susan Lewis purchased 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $63.53 per share, for a total transaction of $31,765.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $120,452.88. The trade was a 35.82 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 6.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Stepan by 110.6% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP grew its position in shares of Stepan by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 6,606 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 40.8% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,315 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Stepan by 67.9% during the 1st quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Stepan by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 12,146 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $786,000 after buying an additional 456 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company's stock.

Stepan Company Profile

Stepan Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells specialty and intermediate chemicals to other manufacturers for use in various end products worldwide. It operates through three segments: Surfactants, Polymers, and Specialty Products. The Surfactants segment offers surfactants that are used in consumer and industrial cleaning and disinfection products, including detergents for washing clothes, dishes, carpets, and floors and walls, as well as shampoos and body washes; and other applications, such as fabric softeners, germicidal quaternary compounds, disinfectants, and lubricating ingredients.