First Trust Advisors LP Boosts Stake in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 660,048 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 17,283 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 2.93% of Stepan worth $42,705,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Forum Financial Management LP increased its stake in Stepan by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 6,606 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Stepan by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 46,688 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,022,000 after buying an additional 1,898 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Stepan by 781.4% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 617 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Stepan by 47.3% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 145,802 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $9,433,000 after buying an additional 46,846 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in Stepan by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 13,906 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $900,000 after purchasing an additional 905 shares during the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stepan Price Performance

NYSE SCL traded up $2.24 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $50.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 50,749 shares, compared to its average volume of 115,112. Stepan has a one year low of $44.23 and a one year high of $94.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a PE ratio of 23.33 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $54.38 and a 200 day moving average of $64.21.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $593.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $562.77 million. Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The firm's revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.64 EPS. 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 will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.05%. Stepan's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Susan Lewis purchased 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $63.53 per share, for a total transaction of $31,765.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at $120,452.88. This represents a 35.82 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 6.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.