Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Shares Gap Up to $84.53

Stepan (NYSE:SCL)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $84.53, but opened at $87.16. Stepan shares last traded at $86.70, with a volume of 17,754 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Stepan Stock Down 0.8 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.30 and a beta of 0.83. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $87.14 and its 200 day moving average is $86.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.40.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued 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 business had revenue of $532.13 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $534.48 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.59 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Stepan will post 2.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $455,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 255,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,274,486.69. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Stepan news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 3,637 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.11, for a total value of $327,730.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 255,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,029,142.37. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $455,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 255,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,274,486.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,637 shares of company stock valued at $957,940. Company insiders own 7.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Stepan

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SCL. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Stepan during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $254,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Stepan by 0.9% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 323,931 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $24,285,000 after buying an additional 2,742 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in shares of Stepan by 6.5% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $357,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the period. Grace & White Inc. NY increased its position in shares of Stepan by 21.6% during the third quarter. Grace & White Inc. NY now owns 97,747 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $7,328,000 after buying an additional 17,350 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stepan during the third quarter worth $307,000. 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.