Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Shares Sold by Jump Financial LLC

Jump Financial LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 51.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,762 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 7,040 shares during the quarter. Jump Financial LLC's holdings in Stepan were worth $438,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Stepan during the 4th quarter valued at about $7,545,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Stepan by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 451,123 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $29,188,000 after purchasing an additional 54,943 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Stepan by 47.3% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 145,802 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $9,433,000 after purchasing an additional 46,846 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Stepan by 23.3% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 176,066 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $11,391,000 after purchasing an additional 33,276 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Stepan by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 403,399 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $26,100,000 after purchasing an additional 29,179 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Stepan

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

Stepan Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SCL traded up $4.15 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $52.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 122,777 shares, compared to its average volume of 115,393. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $54.38 and a 200 day moving average of $64.21. Stepan has a twelve month low of $44.23 and a twelve month high of $94.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a PE ratio of 23.68 and a beta of 0.97.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $593.26 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $562.77 million. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.21% and a net margin of 2.31%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. Stepan's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Stepan Profile

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.