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

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

Stepan Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE SCL traded up $1.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $54.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 130,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 121,662. The stock has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.86 and a beta of 1.00. 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 one year low of $44.23 and a one year high of $94.77. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $52.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $61.92.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $593.26 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $562.77 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.64 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Stepan

In related news, Director Susan Lewis acquired 500 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $63.53 per share, with a total value of $31,765.00. Following the transaction, 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 6.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Stepan

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SCL. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Stepan by 177.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,790 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,460,000 after purchasing an additional 28,655 shares during the period. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. boosted its position in shares of Stepan by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. now owns 62,486 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $4,043,000 after acquiring an additional 1,773 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in Stepan by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 6,208 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $402,000 after acquiring an additional 857 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Stepan by 40.8% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Stepan in the 4th quarter worth approximately $239,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.