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Stepan (SCL) Competitors

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$63.56 +1.18 (+1.89%)
As of 09/4/2026 03:57 PM Eastern

SCL vs. BUSE, FFBC, IOSP, UBSI, and AUB

Should you buy Stepan stock or one of its competitors? Stepan's main competitors and comparable companies include First Busey (BUSE), First Financial Bancorp. (FFBC), Innospec (IOSP), United Bankshares (UBSI), and Atlantic Union Bankshares (AUB). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size.

How does Stepan compare to First Busey?

First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE) and Stepan (NYSE:SCL) are related companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, valuation, dividends, risk, profitability, earnings and media sentiment.

First Busey has a net margin of 21.00% compared to Stepan's net margin of -0.11%. First Busey's return on equity of 10.48% beat Stepan's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
First Busey21.00% 10.48% 1.40%
Stepan -0.11%3.90%2.01%

First Busey currently has a consensus price target of $32.00, suggesting a potential upside of 4.37%. Given First Busey's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe First Busey is more favorable than Stepan.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
First Busey
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.57
Stepan
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.50

First Busey has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Stepan. Stepan is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Busey, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
First Busey$1.04B2.43$135.26M$2.4212.67
Stepan$2.33B0.62$46.90M-$0.12N/A

56.5% of First Busey shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 82.7% of Stepan shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.8% of First Busey shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.6% of Stepan shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

First Busey has a beta of 0.71, indicating that its stock price is 29% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Stepan has a beta of 0.94, indicating that its stock price is 6% less volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, Stepan had 3 more articles in the media than First Busey. MarketBeat recorded 4 mentions for Stepan and 1 mentions for First Busey. Stepan's average media sentiment score of 1.72 beat First Busey's score of 1.68 indicating that Stepan is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
First Busey
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive
Stepan
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive

First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Stepan pays an annual dividend of $1.58 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. First Busey pays out 43.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Stepan pays out -1,316.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. First Busey has raised its dividend for 10 consecutive years and Stepan has raised its dividend for 57 consecutive years.

Summary

First Busey beats Stepan on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Stepan compare to First Financial Bancorp.?

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) and First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) are related companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, media sentiment, risk and profitability.

First Financial Bancorp. has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Stepan. Stepan is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Financial Bancorp., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Stepan$2.33B0.62$46.90M-$0.12N/A
First Financial Bancorp.$1.26B2.75$255.60M$2.8311.65

First Financial Bancorp. has a consensus price target of $33.67, indicating a potential upside of 2.08%. Given First Financial Bancorp.'s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe First Financial Bancorp. is more favorable than Stepan.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Stepan
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.50
First Financial Bancorp.
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50

In the previous week, Stepan and Stepan both had 4 articles in the media. Stepan's average media sentiment score of 1.72 beat First Financial Bancorp.'s score of 0.84 indicating that Stepan is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Stepan
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive
First Financial Bancorp.
3 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Stepan has a beta of 0.94, suggesting that its stock price is 6% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, First Financial Bancorp. has a beta of 0.91, suggesting that its stock price is 9% less volatile than the broader market.

First Financial Bancorp. has a net margin of 20.77% compared to Stepan's net margin of -0.11%. First Financial Bancorp.'s return on equity of 11.13% beat Stepan's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Stepan-0.11% 3.90% 2.01%
First Financial Bancorp. 20.77%11.13%1.49%

82.7% of Stepan shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 77.2% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are held by institutional investors. 6.6% of Stepan shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Stepan pays an annual dividend of $1.58 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. First Financial Bancorp. pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.2%. Stepan pays out -1,316.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Financial Bancorp. pays out 36.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Stepan has increased its dividend for 57 consecutive years and First Financial Bancorp. has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years.

Summary

First Financial Bancorp. beats Stepan on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Stepan compare to Innospec?

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) and Innospec (NASDAQ:IOSP) are both materials companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, dividends, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, profitability and analyst recommendations.

In the previous week, Stepan and Stepan both had 4 articles in the media. Stepan's average media sentiment score of 1.72 beat Innospec's score of 1.23 indicating that Stepan is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Stepan
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive
Innospec
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Stepan has a beta of 0.94, suggesting that its stock price is 6% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Innospec has a beta of 0.93, suggesting that its stock price is 7% less volatile than the broader market.

Innospec has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Stepan. Stepan is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Innospec, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Stepan$2.33B0.62$46.90M-$0.12N/A
Innospec$1.78B1.30$116.60M$4.9019.17

Stepan pays an annual dividend of $1.58 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. Innospec pays an annual dividend of $1.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. Stepan pays out -1,316.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Innospec pays out 37.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Stepan has raised its dividend for 57 consecutive years and Innospec has raised its dividend for 11 consecutive years. Stepan is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Innospec has a net margin of 6.60% compared to Stepan's net margin of -0.11%. Innospec's return on equity of 9.22% beat Stepan's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Stepan-0.11% 3.90% 2.01%
Innospec 6.60%9.22%6.74%

82.7% of Stepan shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 96.6% of Innospec shares are owned by institutional investors. 6.6% of Stepan shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of Innospec shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Stepan
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.50
Innospec
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.00

Summary

Innospec beats Stepan on 9 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Stepan compare to United Bankshares?

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) and Stepan (NYSE:SCL) are related companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, earnings, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and media sentiment.

United Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.52 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.2%. Stepan pays an annual dividend of $1.58 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. United Bankshares pays out 41.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Stepan pays out -1,316.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. United Bankshares has raised its dividend for 26 consecutive years and Stepan has raised its dividend for 57 consecutive years.

United Bankshares has a beta of 0.7, indicating that its stock price is 30% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Stepan has a beta of 0.94, indicating that its stock price is 6% less volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, United Bankshares had 6 more articles in the media than Stepan. MarketBeat recorded 10 mentions for United Bankshares and 4 mentions for Stepan. Stepan's average media sentiment score of 1.72 beat United Bankshares' score of 1.28 indicating that Stepan is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
United Bankshares
9 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Stepan
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive

70.8% of United Bankshares shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 82.7% of Stepan shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.2% of United Bankshares shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.6% of Stepan shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

United Bankshares has a net margin of 27.97% compared to Stepan's net margin of -0.11%. United Bankshares' return on equity of 9.39% beat Stepan's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
United Bankshares27.97% 9.39% 1.53%
Stepan -0.11%3.90%2.01%

United Bankshares currently has a consensus price target of $47.80, indicating a potential downside of 0.06%. Given United Bankshares' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe United Bankshares is more favorable than Stepan.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
United Bankshares
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.43
Stepan
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.50

United Bankshares has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Stepan. Stepan is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than United Bankshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
United Bankshares$1.82B3.58$464.60M$3.6713.03
Stepan$2.33B0.62$46.90M-$0.12N/A

Summary

United Bankshares beats Stepan on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Stepan compare to Atlantic Union Bankshares?

Atlantic Union Bankshares (NYSE:AUB) and Stepan (NYSE:SCL) are related companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, media sentiment, earnings, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and risk.

Atlantic Union Bankshares presently has a consensus target price of $45.57, indicating a potential upside of 11.45%. Given Atlantic Union Bankshares' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Atlantic Union Bankshares is more favorable than Stepan.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Atlantic Union Bankshares
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.63
Stepan
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.50

Atlantic Union Bankshares has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Stepan. Stepan is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Atlantic Union Bankshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Atlantic Union Bankshares$2.04B2.86$273.71M$3.3512.21
Stepan$2.33B0.62$46.90M-$0.12N/A

Atlantic Union Bankshares has a net margin of 21.97% compared to Stepan's net margin of -0.11%. Atlantic Union Bankshares' return on equity of 10.55% beat Stepan's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Atlantic Union Bankshares21.97% 10.55% 1.41%
Stepan -0.11%3.90%2.01%

Atlantic Union Bankshares has a beta of 0.78, indicating that its stock price is 22% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Stepan has a beta of 0.94, indicating that its stock price is 6% less volatile than the broader market.

Atlantic Union Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. Stepan pays an annual dividend of $1.58 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. Atlantic Union Bankshares pays out 44.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Stepan pays out -1,316.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Atlantic Union Bankshares has increased its dividend for 14 consecutive years and Stepan has increased its dividend for 57 consecutive years.

In the previous week, Stepan had 2 more articles in the media than Atlantic Union Bankshares. MarketBeat recorded 4 mentions for Stepan and 2 mentions for Atlantic Union Bankshares. Atlantic Union Bankshares' average media sentiment score of 1.82 beat Stepan's score of 1.72 indicating that Atlantic Union Bankshares is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Atlantic Union Bankshares
2 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive
Stepan
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive

78.6% of Atlantic Union Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 82.7% of Stepan shares are held by institutional investors. 1.0% of Atlantic Union Bankshares shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.6% of Stepan shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Atlantic Union Bankshares beats Stepan on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding SCL and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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SCL vs. The Competition

MetricStepanChemicals IndustryMaterials SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$1.42B$11.65B$5.08B$23.69B
Dividend Yield2.53%2.81%4.67%3.72%
P/E Ratio-529.6738.6226.1229.32
Price / Sales0.6257.575,327.7919.91
Price / Cash8.4115.2227.1333.23
Price / Book1.193.6010.617.60
Net Income$46.90M$222.55M$156.45M$1.07B
7 Day Performance1.79%0.08%-0.32%-0.05%
1 Month Performance-0.96%1.49%13.97%-0.24%
1 Year Performance27.04%17.70%42.73%12.79%

Stepan Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
SCL
Stepan
2.4241 of 5 stars
$63.56
+1.9%
N/A+28.5%$1.42B$2.33BN/A2,328
BUSE
First Busey
3.719 of 5 stars
$30.10
-0.6%
$32.00
+6.3%
+23.8%$2.50B$1.04B12.441,948
FFBC
First Financial Bancorp.
2.744 of 5 stars
$32.63
-0.6%
$33.67
+3.2%
+23.5%$3.45B$996.38M11.532,199
IOSP
Innospec
3.3876 of 5 stars
$93.86
-1.6%
N/A+9.4%$2.35B$1.78B19.162,450
UBSI
United Bankshares
3.5003 of 5 stars
$47.13
-1.0%
$47.80
+1.4%
+23.8%$6.48B$1.82B12.842,694

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This page (NYSE:SCL) was last updated on 9/5/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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