Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Sunday.

Stepan Stock Performance

Stepan stock traded down $0.56 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $54.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 177,996 shares, compared to its average volume of 122,420. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Stepan has a twelve month low of $44.23 and a twelve month high of $94.77. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $52.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $61.53. The firm has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.58 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Insider Activity at Stepan

In other news, Director Susan Lewis bought 500 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $63.53 per share, with a total value of $31,765.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $120,452.88. This trade represents a 35.82% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 6.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its position in Stepan by 35.9% in the 1st quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,252,914 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $68,960,000 after acquiring an additional 331,210 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Stepan in the fourth quarter worth $7,545,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its stake in shares of Stepan by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 638,500 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $41,311,000 after purchasing an additional 108,556 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the first quarter valued at $4,971,000. Finally, Southernsun Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Stepan by 24.0% during the fourth quarter. Southernsun Asset Management LLC now owns 383,685 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $24,824,000 after purchasing an additional 74,238 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company's stock.

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.