Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Shares Acquired by Southernsun Asset Management LLC

Southernsun Asset Management LLC grew its position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 24.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 383,685 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 74,238 shares during the quarter. Stepan makes up 3.1% of Southernsun Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Southernsun Asset Management LLC owned approximately 1.71% of Stepan worth $24,824,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Stepan by 110.6% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Stepan by 781.4% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 617 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its stake in Stepan by 40.8% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,315 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in Stepan in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $239,000. Finally, Howe & Rusling Inc. increased its stake in Stepan by 24.5% in the 4th quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 4,254 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $275,000 after purchasing an additional 837 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.70% of the company's stock.

Stepan Price Performance

Stepan stock traded down $0.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $48.25. 145,736 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 114,997. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $54.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $64.40. The company has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.83 and a beta of 0.97. Stepan has a 12-month low of $44.23 and a 12-month high of $94.77.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.33). The company had revenue of $525.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $520.97 million. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.21% and a net margin of 2.31%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.33 EPS. Analysts forecast that Stepan will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.385 dividend. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Stepan's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.68%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Susan Lewis bought 500 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $63.53 per share, for a total transaction of $31,765.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now 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 acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 6.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Stepan from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note 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.