Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Raised to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Friday.

Stepan Stock Performance

NYSE:SCL traded down $0.81 during trading on Friday, reaching $54.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 89,637 shares, compared to its average volume of 124,602. The firm has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.20 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.21. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $53.90 and a 200-day moving average of $57.84. Stepan has a 12 month low of $44.23 and a 12 month high of $94.77.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $593.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $562.77 million. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.61% and a net margin of 2.53%. The firm's revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. Research analysts expect that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Stepan

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Stepan by 781.4% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 617 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 547 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in Stepan during the 1st quarter valued at $50,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Stepan by 124.3% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,025 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Stepan by 67.9% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Howe & Rusling Inc. lifted its position in Stepan by 24.5% during the 4th quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 4,254 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $275,000 after acquiring an additional 837 shares during the period. 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.