Semanteon Capital Management LP Buys New Holdings in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Semanteon Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 15,473 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,195,000. Stepan makes up approximately 0.8% of Semanteon Capital Management LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Semanteon Capital Management LP owned approximately 0.07% of Stepan at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,562,730 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $242,306,000 after purchasing an additional 14,038 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Stepan by 43.9% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,675 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 1,121 shares during the period. SpiderRock Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Stepan during the 1st quarter valued at $680,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Stepan by 49.3% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,173 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,006,000 after buying an additional 3,690 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Stepan by 42.2% in the 1st quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 3,683 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $332,000 after buying an additional 1,093 shares during the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stepan Stock Performance

Shares of SCL traded up $1.25 on Monday, reaching $73.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 54,518 shares, compared to its average volume of 91,348. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $75.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $80.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.27 and a beta of 0.80. Stepan has a 12-month low of $69.78 and a 12-month high of $96.68.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.26). Stepan had a return on equity of 3.83% and a net margin of 1.58%. The company had revenue of $556.41 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $581.30 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.53 EPS. The company's revenue was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Stepan will post 2.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Stepan's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Stepan from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, July 28th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stepan

In other Stepan news, VP David Kabbes bought 1,056 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $71.39 per share, with a total value of $75,387.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,056 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $75,387.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 7.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Stepan Company 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.