Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.33 EPS

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The basic materials company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.33), Zacks reports. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.21% and a net margin of 2.31%. The firm had revenue of $525.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $520.97 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.33 earnings per share. Stepan's quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Stepan Trading Down 1.8 %

NYSE:SCL traded down $1.15 on Friday, reaching $62.76. The company's stock had a trading volume of 105,616 shares, compared to its average volume of 122,780. The firm has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.40 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Stepan has a 12-month low of $59.55 and a 12-month high of $94.76. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $64.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $71.39.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.385 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. Stepan's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Stepan from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday.

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.