Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Raised to "Buy" at StockNews.com

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Sunday.

Stepan Trading Down 1.5 %

SCL traded down $1.16 on Friday, reaching $74.74. 118,712 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 99,054. The company has a market cap of $1.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.18 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Stepan has a one year low of $69.78 and a one year high of $96.68. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $80.24.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $546.84 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $577.23 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.64 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Stepan will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,541 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $717,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Stepan by 1.9% during 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 acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Stepan by 5.6% in 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 last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Stepan by 43.9% in 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 increased its stake in Stepan by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 10,500 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $811,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company's stock.

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.