Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Upgraded to “Hold” at StockNews.com

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday.

Stepan Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of SCL traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $87.67. The company had a trading volume of 57,377 shares, compared to its average volume of 79,896. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $89.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $84.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Stepan has a 1-year low of $63.60 and a 1-year high of $104.43. The stock has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 50.10 and a beta of 0.83.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.04). Stepan had a net margin of 1.73% and a return on equity of 4.20%. The business had revenue of $532.13 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $534.48 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.59 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Stepan will post 2.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Stepan

In related news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.43, for a total value of $174,860.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 250,676 shares in the company, valued at $21,916,602.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.43, for a total transaction of $174,860.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 250,676 shares in the company, valued at $21,916,602.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 3,637 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.11, for a total transaction of $327,730.07. Following the sale, the director now owns 255,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,029,142.37. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,637 shares of company stock worth $957,940. Company insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Stepan

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 5,436.3% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 516,704 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $48,854,000 after buying an additional 507,371 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 172.9% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 410,365 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $43,688,000 after buying an additional 260,016 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 12.8% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,951,932 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $197,828,000 after buying an additional 221,795 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Stepan in the fourth quarter worth $22,622,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 8.1% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,165,082 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $162,317,000 after buying an additional 162,560 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

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.