Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lowered its stake in Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 14.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,601 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 4,797 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.12% of Stepan worth $1,786,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Stepan by 110.6% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 40.8% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,315 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 381 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Stepan by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 6,650 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $430,000 after purchasing an additional 816 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its position in Stepan by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 6,208 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $402,000 after purchasing an additional 857 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Stepan by 16.4% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 11,879 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $769,000 after purchasing an additional 1,676 shares during the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stepan Stock Performance

NYSE:SCL traded up $0.39 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $54.58. The company had a trading volume of 72,775 shares, compared to its average volume of 108,021. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Stepan has a 1-year low of $53.42 and a 1-year high of $94.77. The business's 50 day moving average price is $60.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.16. The firm has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of 24.70 and a beta of 0.82.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last posted its 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). The firm had revenue of $525.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $520.97 million. Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.33 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Stepan's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Activity at Stepan

In related news, Director Susan Lewis purchased 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $63.53 per share, with a total value of $31,765.00. Following the purchase, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 6.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.