Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Reaches New 52-Week Low - Here's What Happened

Shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $63.81 and last traded at $64.18, with a volume of 6177 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $65.26.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Stepan Stock Performance

The company's 50-day moving average price is $73.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.45 billion, a PE ratio of 32.14 and a beta of 0.82. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $546.84 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $577.23 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.64 earnings per share. Stepan's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Stepan will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.385 per share. 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 2.38%. Stepan's payout ratio is currently 76.62%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stepan

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCL. Quest Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Stepan by 3,053.3% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 473 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 458 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Stepan in the third quarter worth about $48,000. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Stepan by 43.9% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 934 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Stepan during the second quarter valued at approximately $129,000. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stepan during the second quarter valued at approximately $134,000. 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.