Stepan Company (SCL) To Go Ex-Dividend on September 1st

Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, July 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a dividend of 0.395 per share by the basic materials company on Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st.

Stepan has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 57 consecutive years. Stepan has a dividend payout ratio of 38.2% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Stepan to earn $3.92 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.58 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 40.3%.

Stepan Stock Down 2.1%

Stepan stock traded down $1.40 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $64.74. 113,757 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 164,569. Stepan has a 52-week low of $41.82 and a 52-week high of $68.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $55.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -104.05 and a beta of 0.95.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.57. Stepan had a negative net margin of 0.61% and a positive return on equity of 2.65%. The firm had revenue of $684.11 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $635.85 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.52 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Stepan will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Stepan from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research upgraded Stepan from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Stepan has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Stepan Company Profile

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.