Empowered Funds LLC Makes New $4.95 Million Investment in Stepan Company $SCL

Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 88,869 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,952,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of SCL. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the second quarter worth about $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position 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 last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in Stepan by 86.9% in the 4th quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 570 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP bought a new stake in Stepan in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Stepan by 700.0% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on SCL shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Stepan from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Stepan in a report on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Stepan from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Stepan currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Stepan Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SCL opened at $62.49 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $60.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a PE ratio of -520.75 and a beta of 0.94. Stepan Company has a 52 week low of $41.82 and a 52 week high of $68.00.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $684.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $635.85 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.52 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Stepan Company will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.395 per share. This represents a $1.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. Stepan’s payout ratio is presently -1,316.67%.

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.