Q1 2024 Earnings Estimate for Stepan Issued By Seaport Res Ptn (NYSE:SCL)

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) – Analysts at Seaport Res Ptn upped their Q1 2024 EPS estimates for Stepan in a report issued on Wednesday, April 17th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $0.39 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.38. The consensus estimate for Stepan’s current full-year earnings is $2.50 per share.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.33 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $532.13 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $534.48 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.59 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 15.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stepan from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th.

Stepan Stock Up 0.6 %

SCL opened at $82.06 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $88.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $85.01. The stock has a market cap of $1.84 billion, a PE ratio of 46.89 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Stepan has a 1-year low of $63.60 and a 1-year high of $100.61.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.71%.

Insider Activity at Stepan

In other Stepan news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now owns 250,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,916,602.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Stepan news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.43, for a total value of $174,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 250,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,916,602.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 3,637 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.11, for a total value of $327,730.07. Following the transaction, the director now directly 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 90 days, insiders sold 10,637 shares of company stock worth $957,940. Company insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can raised its position in shares of Stepan by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 18,485 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,875,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Stepan by 4.0% in the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,462 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $331,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in Stepan by 3.1% during the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 4,534 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $425,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in Stepan by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 3,031 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC grew its position in Stepan by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 4,316 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $459,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. 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.