SG Americas Securities LLC Acquires 17,463 Shares of Stepan Company $SCL

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) by 37.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 63,873 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,463 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Stepan were worth $3,192,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of SCL. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its position in shares of Stepan by 29.5% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 900,377 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $42,642,000 after buying an additional 205,157 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Stepan by 8.4% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 586,473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,975,000 after acquiring an additional 45,520 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Stepan by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 514,401 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $24,362,000 after acquiring an additional 2,060 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Stepan by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 477,456 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $22,612,000 after acquiring an additional 23,097 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Stepan by 195.5% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 299,970 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $14,207,000 after acquiring an additional 198,457 shares during the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Stepan Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:SCL opened at $55.66 on Wednesday. Stepan Company has a 1 year low of $41.82 and a 1 year high of $68.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The business’s 50-day moving average is $52.32 and its 200-day moving average is $52.28. The company has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -89.78 and a beta of 0.96.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $604.51 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $612.25 million. Stepan had a positive return on equity of 2.65% and a negative net margin of 0.61%.The firm’s revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.84 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Stepan Company will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were given a dividend of $0.395 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $1.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -254.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SCL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Stepan from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Stepan presently has a consensus rating of “Sell”.

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.