Algert Global LLC Acquires Shares of 10,666 Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Algert Global LLC acquired a new stake in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 10,666 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $690,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Stepan by 177.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,460,000 after purchasing an additional 28,655 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Stepan by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 142,790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $11,031,000 after purchasing an additional 23,626 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Stepan by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 102,610 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,639,000 after purchasing an additional 2,844 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Stepan by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,560,605 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $165,671,000 after purchasing an additional 25,841 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan during the 4th quarter worth $324,000. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Stepan news, Director Susan Lewis acquired 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $63.53 per share, for a total transaction of $31,765.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $120,452.88. This represents a 35.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday.

Stepan Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SCL opened at $53.79 on Monday. Stepan has a one year low of $44.23 and a one year high of $94.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.21. The company’s fifty day moving average is $52.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.34 and a beta of 1.00.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.33. Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The business had revenue of $593.26 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $562.77 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $0.385 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.86%. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.60%.

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.