Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Shares Bought by Quest Partners LLC

Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 4,144.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,075 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 19,602 shares during the quarter. Quest Partners LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Stepan worth $1,551,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd acquired a new position in Stepan during the 1st quarter worth about $512,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 25,608 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,303,000 after buying an additional 2,427 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its holdings in Stepan by 0.6% during the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 694,196 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $62,505,000 after acquiring an additional 4,424 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Stepan by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 13,878 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,250,000 after acquiring an additional 775 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB bought a new stake in Stepan during the first quarter worth $648,000. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com raised Stepan from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday.

Stepan Price Performance

Stepan stock traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $75.35. The company had a trading volume of 311,840 shares, compared to its average volume of 94,015. The company has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.47 and a beta of 0.81. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $75.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $80.07. Stepan has a 12-month low of $69.78 and a 12-month high of $96.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $546.84 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $577.23 million. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.56% and a net margin of 2.10%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 2.54 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a $0.385 dividend. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. This is a boost from Stepan's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. Stepan's payout ratio is presently 74.63%.

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.