Balyasny Asset Management L.P. Cuts Stock Holdings in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Balyasny Asset Management L.P. decreased its stake in Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 46.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,951 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 7,918 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P.'s holdings in Stepan were worth $579,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Forum Financial Management LP increased its stake 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 buying an additional 257 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its stake in Stepan by 40.8% during the fourth 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 during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Stepan by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 12,865 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $832,000 after purchasing an additional 528 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew 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 worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in Stepan by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 6,650 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $430,000 after purchasing an additional 816 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.70% of the company's stock.

Stepan Trading Down 2.0%

NYSE SCL traded down $1.10 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $54.65. 11,617 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 120,818. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $52.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $62.10. Stepan has a 1-year low of $44.23 and a 1-year high of $94.77. The firm has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.74 and a beta of 1.00. 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 (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.33. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.21% and a net margin of 2.31%. The firm had revenue of $593.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $562.77 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.64 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $0.385 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.82%. Stepan's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stepan

In other news, Director Susan Lewis acquired 500 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $63.53 per share, with a total value of $31,765.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $120,452.88. The trade was a 35.82% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 6.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised Stepan from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday.

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.