American Century Companies Inc. Acquires 54,943 Shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 13.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 451,123 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 54,943 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 2.00% of Stepan worth $29,188,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Stepan by 110.6% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Stepan by 40.8% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,315 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Stepan during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $161,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Stepan in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $168,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Stepan in the third quarter valued at $170,000. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Stepan from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th.

Stepan Stock Performance

Shares of SCL stock traded up $0.39 on Wednesday, reaching $54.58. The stock had a trading volume of 72,775 shares, compared to its average volume of 108,021. Stepan has a 12 month low of $53.42 and a 12 month high of $94.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.70 and a beta of 0.82. The firm's 50-day moving average is $60.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.16.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.33). Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The business had revenue of $525.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $520.97 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.33 EPS. Stepan's quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Stepan's dividend payout ratio is 69.68%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Susan Lewis bought 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $63.53 per share, for a total transaction of $31,765.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at $120,452.88. This represents a 35.82 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.90% of the company's stock.

About Stepan

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.