Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Shares Pass Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $57.31 and traded as high as $58.96. Stepan shares last traded at $57.55, with a volume of 70,620 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised Stepan from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th.

Stepan Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.30 billion, a PE ratio of 23.39 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a 50-day moving average of $55.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $57.31.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.61% and a net margin of 2.53%. The company had revenue of $593.26 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $562.77 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.64 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Stepan Company will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th were given a $0.385 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.68%. Stepan's payout ratio is 62.60%.

Institutional Trading of Stepan

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 781.4% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 617 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Stepan in the 1st quarter worth approximately $50,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 124.3% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,025 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Stepan by 67.9% during the 1st quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Howe & Rusling Inc. raised its stake in Stepan by 24.5% during the 4th quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 4,254 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $275,000 after acquiring an additional 837 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.

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