Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Hits New 12-Month Low - Here's Why

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $66.19 and last traded at $66.82, with a volume of 110184 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $67.12.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com raised Stepan from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, November 17th.

Stepan Stock Up 0.9 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.52 billion, a PE ratio of 33.54 and a beta of 0.82. The firm's 50-day moving average is $74.44 and its 200 day moving average is $77.77. 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 (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.38. Stepan had a net margin of 2.10% and a return on equity of 4.56%. The company had revenue of $546.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $577.23 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Stepan will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.385 per share. This is an increase from Stepan's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. Stepan's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.62%.

Institutional Trading of Stepan

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Stepan by 924.5% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 82,901 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $6,404,000 after buying an additional 74,809 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Stepan by 409.2% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 92,053 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $7,111,000 after purchasing an additional 73,976 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Stepan by 51.1% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 211,302 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $17,741,000 after purchasing an additional 71,431 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Stepan by 7.6% in the second quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 747,140 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $62,730,000 after purchasing an additional 52,944 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Stepan by 2.8% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,279,450 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $107,421,000 after purchasing an additional 34,264 shares during the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.