Seaport Res Ptn Has Negative Estimate for Stepan Q1 Earnings

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) - Analysts at Seaport Res Ptn reduced their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for Stepan in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, November 11th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now anticipates that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $1.15 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.18. The consensus estimate for Stepan's current full-year earnings is $2.09 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Stepan's Q2 2025 earnings at $1.23 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $4.25 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $5.41 EPS.

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Stepan from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday.

Stepan Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of SCL traded down $0.66 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $76.41. The company had a trading volume of 83,761 shares, compared to its average volume of 92,718. The firm has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.02 and a beta of 0.81. Stepan has a 52-week low of $69.78 and a 52-week high of $96.68. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $75.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.36. 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 (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.38. Stepan had a net margin of 2.10% and a return on equity of 4.56%. The company had revenue of $546.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $577.23 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its position in Stepan by 334.7% during the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 10,102 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $780,000 after purchasing an additional 7,778 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in Stepan during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $244,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Stepan by 27.1% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 5,834 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $451,000 after acquiring an additional 1,243 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Stepan by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 374,220 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $28,908,000 after purchasing an additional 18,854 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Stepan in the third quarter worth $392,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company's stock.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. This is an increase from Stepan's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. Stepan's dividend payout ratio is 74.63%.

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.