Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Saturday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on SCL. Zacks Research raised shares of Stepan from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Stepan from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Stepan in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Stepan presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Stepan Stock Performance

Shares of Stepan stock opened at $65.14 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $56.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.33. The company has a market cap of $1.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -542.86 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.15. Stepan has a one year low of $41.82 and a one year high of $68.00.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.57. Stepan had a positive return on equity of 3.90% and a negative net margin of 0.11%.The company had revenue of $684.11 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $635.85 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.52 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Stepan will post 2.43 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be paid a $0.395 dividend. This represents a $1.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is -1,316.67%.

Institutional Trading of Stepan

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Stepan by 206.5% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 521 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 351 shares during the period. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Stepan by 86.9% during the fourth quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 570 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Stepan by 700.0% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 602 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Stepan during the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.