23,936 Shares in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Purchased by WINTON GROUP Ltd

WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new position in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 23,936 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,549,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd owned approximately 0.11% of Stepan as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of SCL. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Stepan by 110.6% during the fourth 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 period. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Stepan by 40.8% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,315 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in Stepan by 14.0% during the 4th 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 period. Inspire Investing LLC increased its holdings in Stepan by 16.0% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its position in Stepan by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 20,431 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,322,000 after purchasing an additional 1,215 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company's stock.

Stepan Stock Down 1.4 %

NYSE SCL traded down $0.78 on Tuesday, reaching $54.26. The company had a trading volume of 99,230 shares, compared to its average volume of 108,127. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a PE ratio of 24.55 and a beta of 0.82. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $60.42 and a 200-day moving average of $68.25. Stepan has a 1 year low of $53.67 and a 1 year high of $94.77. 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 (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.33). Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The firm had revenue of $525.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $520.97 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.33 earnings per share. Stepan's revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $0.385 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. Stepan's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Transactions at Stepan

In related news, Director Susan Lewis bought 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were acquired 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 in the company, valued at $120,452.88. This trade represents a 35.82 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 6.90% 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.