Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd Purchases 7,542 Shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd lifted its position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 238.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,706 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 7,542 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd's holdings in Stepan were worth $693,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Walleye Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Stepan by 115.4% during the 3rd quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 6,732 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $520,000 after acquiring an additional 3,607 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Stepan during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $357,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Stepan during the third quarter valued at about $170,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd lifted its holdings in Stepan by 176.4% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 7,262 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $560,000 after purchasing an additional 4,635 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Stepan by 1.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,195,187 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $92,328,000 after buying an additional 17,530 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company's stock.

Stepan Trading Up 1.1 %

SCL traded up $0.52 on Friday, hitting $48.10. The company had a trading volume of 133,675 shares, compared to its average volume of 111,103. Stepan has a 12-month low of $44.23 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 business's fifty day simple moving average is $57.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.38. The company has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a PE ratio of 21.76 and a beta of 0.97.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.33). Stepan had a return on equity of 4.21% and a net margin of 2.31%. The company 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 business earned $0.33 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.385 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. Stepan's dividend payout ratio is 69.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Stepan from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th.

Insider Transactions at Stepan

In related news, Director Susan Lewis purchased 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $63.53 per share, for a total transaction of $31,765.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $120,452.88. This trade represents a 35.82 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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.