Short Interest in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Grows By 21.6%

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 281,700 shares, a growth of 21.6% from the March 31st total of 231,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 139,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days. Currently, 1.3% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Stepan Price Performance

NYSE SCL traded down $0.44 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $53.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 28,441 shares, compared to its average volume of 117,958. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.09 and a beta of 0.97. The company's 50-day moving average is $53.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Stepan has a 1-year low of $44.23 and a 1-year high of $94.77.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.33. Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The company had revenue of $593.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $562.77 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.64 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.90%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Stepan's payout ratio is 62.60%.

Insider Activity at Stepan

In related news, Director Susan Lewis acquired 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $63.53 per share, with a total value of $31,765.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at $120,452.88. This represents a 35.82 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 6.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCL. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Stepan by 177.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,790 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,460,000 after acquiring an additional 28,655 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Stepan by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 142,790 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $11,031,000 after buying an additional 23,626 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 102,610 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,639,000 after acquiring an additional 2,844 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Stepan by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,560,605 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $165,671,000 after acquiring an additional 25,841 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Stepan by 110.6% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Stepan from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st.

About Stepan

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.