Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Hits New 12-Month Low - What's Next?

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $69.26 and last traded at $69.57, with a volume of 49270 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $71.50.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Stepan Stock Down 4.4 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.54 billion, a PE ratio of 34.00 and a beta of 0.82. The stock's fifty day moving average is $75.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

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

Stepan Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a $0.385 dividend. 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Stepan's payout ratio is presently 76.62%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SCL. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Stepan by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,541 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $717,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its position in shares of Stepan by 1.9% in the second quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 10,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $898,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Stepan by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 4,210 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $353,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Stepan by 43.9% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 934 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Stepan by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 10,500 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $811,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company's stock.

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.

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