Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Upgraded to “Hold” at StockNews.com

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

Stepan Stock Down 0.4 %

SCL traded down $0.33 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $87.67. The stock had a trading volume of 57,377 shares, compared to its average volume of 79,896. The company has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 50.10 and a beta of 0.83. Stepan has a twelve month low of $63.60 and a twelve month high of $104.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.40. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $89.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $84.02.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $532.13 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $534.48 million. Stepan had a net margin of 1.73% and a return on equity of 4.20%. Stepan’s revenue was down 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.59 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Stepan will post 2.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stepan

In other Stepan news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $455,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 255,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,274,486.69. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Stepan news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.43, for a total value of $174,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 250,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,916,602.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $455,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 255,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,274,486.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,637 shares of company stock worth $957,940 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SCL. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Stepan by 26.9% during the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 2,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of Stepan by 8.9% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 3,291 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Stepan by 18.3% during the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 19,586 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,935,000 after purchasing an additional 3,027 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Stepan by 58.9% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 11,487 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,135,000 after purchasing an additional 4,260 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Stepan by 191.3% in the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,302 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $524,000 after buying an additional 3,482 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.