FY2024 EPS Estimates for Stepan Cut by Seaport Res Ptn

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Seaport Res Ptn lowered their FY2024 EPS estimates for Stepan in a research note issued on Wednesday, January 22nd. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now forecasts that the basic materials company will earn $2.39 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $2.60. The consensus estimate for Stepan's current full-year earnings is $2.53 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Stepan's Q4 2024 earnings at $0.31 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $0.92 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.98 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.60 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $3.54 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $4.79 EPS.

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Stepan from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th.

Stepan Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SCL traded down $0.84 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $62.79. 84,010 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 110,221. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $69.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $74.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.27. Stepan has a 12 month low of $59.70 and a 12 month high of $94.76. The firm has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a PE ratio of 31.24 and a beta of 0.84.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.38. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.56% and a net margin of 2.10%. The business had revenue of $546.84 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $577.23 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. Stepan's revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.385 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This is a positive change from Stepan's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.45%. Stepan's dividend payout ratio is 76.62%.

Institutional Trading of Stepan

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SCL. KBC Group NV raised its position in Stepan by 40.8% in 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 during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 6,208 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $402,000 after buying an additional 857 shares during the period. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. raised its position in shares of Stepan by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. now owns 62,486 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $4,043,000 after acquiring an additional 1,773 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Stepan by 110.6% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Stepan by 19.8% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 142,790 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $11,031,000 after acquiring an additional 23,626 shares during the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.