Stepan (SCL) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

Stepan Company is a global manufacturer of specialty and intermediate chemicals, primarily known for its development and production of surfactants and related specialty products. The company’s portfolio includes a wide range of ingredients used to enhance the performance of consumer and industrial formulations, such as emulsifiers, foam control agents, odor control agents, antimicrobial products and performance additives. These products are integral components in cleaning solutions, personal care items, agrochemical formulations, coatings, oilfield treatments and polymer systems.

Serving a diverse set of end-markets, Stepan’s offerings address both consumer-facing and industrial applications. In the household and institutional cleaning segment, its surfactants improve soil removal, foam stability and environmental profile. In personal care, the company’s mildness and performance attributes support shampoos, body washes and skincare products. Stepan’s solutions also play a significant role in agricultural chemicals by enhancing spray coverage and rainfastness, as well as in industrial sectors where its foam control and oil recovery products contribute to operational efficiency.

With headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois, Stepan Company maintains a network of manufacturing sites and research laboratories across North America, South America, Europe and Asia. This global footprint enables close collaboration with customers and responsive supply capabilities. The company places strong emphasis on innovation and sustainability, investing in research and development to advance bio-based chemistries and improve environmental performance without compromising efficacy.

Founded in 1932 by Alfred C. Stepan, Sr., Stepan Company remains a family-led enterprise now in its fourth generation of leadership. F. Quinn Stepan, Jr. serves as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, guiding the company’s strategic expansion and commitment to safety, quality and environmental stewardship. Over its history, Stepan has built a reputation for technical expertise, customer intimacy and continuous improvement, positioning it as a key supplier to formulators around the world.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $47.69 to $48.95
• 50-Day Range: $47.97 to $59.83
• 52-Week Range: $44.23 to $82.08
• Volume: 187,039 shs
• Average Volume: 134,666 shs
• Market Capitalization: $1.10 billion
• P/E Ratio: 19.23
• Dividend Yield: 3.15%
• Price Target: N/A
• Consensus Rating: Sell

Stepan Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Stepan scored higher than 87% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 31st out of 193 stocks in the basic materials sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: N/A
• Analyst Rating: N/A

Consensus Rating

There is not enough analysis data for Stepan.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 3.8 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 34.93%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Stepan are expected to grow by 34.93% in the coming year, from $3.55 to $4.79 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Stepan is 19.23, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 280.68.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Stepan is 19.23, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Basic Materials sector average P/E ratio of about 157.40.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Stepan has a P/B Ratio of 0.94. P/B Ratios below 1 indicate that a company could be undervalued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 5.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

1.68% of the float of Stepan has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Stepan has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 2.8, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Stepan has recently decreased by 17.21%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 4.2 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Strong

Dividend Yield

Stepan pays a meaningful dividend of 3.20%, higher than the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.

Dividend Growth

Stepan has been increasing its dividend for 57 years.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of Stepan is 60.63%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, Stepan will have a dividend payout ratio of 32.15% next year. This indicates that Stepan will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 1.3 / 5
• Environmental Score: -4.18

Percentage of Shares Shorted

1.68% of the float of Stepan has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Stepan has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 2.8, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Stepan has recently decreased by 17.21%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

News and Social Media

• Score: 2.6 / 5
• News Sentiment: 1.65

News Sentiment

Stepan has a news sentiment score of 1.65. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.59 average news sentiment score of Basic Materials companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 4 news articles for Stepan this week, compared to 4 articles on an average week.

Company Ownership

• Score: 1.7 / 5
• Insider Trading: N/A

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Stepan insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 7.60% of the stock of Stepan is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

82.70% of the stock of Stepan is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

SCL Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have SCL shares performed this year?

Stepan's stock was trading at $64.70 on January 1st, 2025. Since then, SCL shares have decreased by 24.5% and is now trading at $48.85.

How were Stepan's earnings last quarter?

Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July, 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by $0.40. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis.
Read the conference call transcript.

Does Stepan have any subsidiaries?

Stepan subsidiaries include these companies: Nanjing Stepan Jinling Chemical Limited Liability Company, PBC Industria Quimica Ltda., Stepan Asia Pte. Ltd., Stepan Canada Inc., Stepan CDMX S. de R.L. de C.V., Stepan Chemical (Nanjing) Co. Ltd., Stepan Chemical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., and more.

Who are Stepan's major shareholders?

Stepan's top institutional investors include Westwood Holdings Group Inc. (5.92%), Westwood Holdings Group Inc. (5.91%), First Trust Advisors LP (3.27%) and American Century Companies Inc. (2.39%). Insiders that own company stock include F Quinn Stepan Jr, Richard Finn Stepan, Arthur W Mergner, Scott R Behrens, Randall S Dearth, Susan Lewis and David Kabbes.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Stepan?

Shares of SCL stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Stepan own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Stepan investors own include NVIDIA (NVDA), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Tesla (TSLA), Meta Platforms (META), Visa (V), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Home Depot (HD).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 7/30/2025
• Record date for 9/15 Dividend: 8/29/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 9/15 Dividend: 8/29/2025
• Dividend Payable: 9/15/2025
• Today: 9/16/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 10/29/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NYSE
• Sector: Basic Materials
• Industry: CHEM - DIVERSIFD
• Sub-Industry: Specialty Chemicals
• Current Symbol: NYSE:SCL
• CIK: 94049
• Web: www.stepan.com
• Phone: (847) 446-7500
• Fax: 847-501-2100
• Employees: 2,396
• Year Founded: 1932

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $2.54
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 19.23
• Forward P/E Ratio: 13.76
• P/E Growth: N/A
• Net Income: $50.37 million
• Net Margins: 2.57%
• Pretax Margin: 2.75%
• Return on Equity: 4.78%
• Return on Assets: 2.42%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 0.31
• Current Ratio: 1.35
• Quick Ratio: 0.86

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $2.18 billion
• Price / Sales: 0.51
• Cash Flow: $7.35 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 6.65
• Book Value: $52.01 per share
• Price / Book: 0.94

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 22,620,000
• Free Float: 20,897,000
• Market Cap: $1.10 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.97