Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Sets New 52-Week Low - What's Next?

Shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $45.94 and last traded at $47.60, with a volume of 176312 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $48.46.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Stepan from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th.

Stepan Stock Up 1.1 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $57.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.46. The company has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.76 and a beta of 0.97.

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

Stepan Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.385 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. Stepan's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Susan Lewis bought 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 purchase, the director now owns 1,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $120,452.88. The trade was a 35.82 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCL. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the 4th quarter worth about $7,545,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its position in Stepan by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 638,500 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $41,311,000 after purchasing an additional 108,556 shares during the last quarter. Southernsun Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Stepan by 24.0% during the fourth quarter. Southernsun Asset Management LLC now owns 383,685 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $24,824,000 after purchasing an additional 74,238 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Stepan by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 921,704 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $59,634,000 after purchasing an additional 60,985 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Stepan by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 451,123 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $29,188,000 after purchasing an additional 54,943 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.