Stepan Company $SCL Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lowered its position in Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) by 94.1% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,704 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 27,213 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Stepan were worth $85,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Stepan by 86.9% in the 4th quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 570 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Stepan by 206.5% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 521 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 351 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Stepan by 700.0% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 602 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan in the third quarter valued at about $43,000. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stepan Stock Down 0.5%

SCL opened at $63.96 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.45 billion, a P/E ratio of -532.98 and a beta of 0.94. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $56.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.26. Stepan Company has a 52 week low of $41.82 and a 52 week high of $68.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $684.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $635.85 million. Stepan had a negative net margin of 0.11% and a positive return on equity of 3.90%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.52 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Stepan Company will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.395 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $1.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Stepan’s payout ratio is -1,316.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Stepan from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Stepan from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Reduce”.

Stepan Company Profile

Stepan Company is a global manufacturer of specialty and intermediate chemicals, primarily known for its development and production of surfactants and related specialty products. The company’s portfolio includes a wide range of ingredients used to enhance the performance of consumer and industrial formulations, such as emulsifiers, foam control agents, odor control agents, antimicrobial products and performance additives. These products are integral components in cleaning solutions, personal care items, agrochemical formulations, coatings, oilfield treatments and polymer systems.

Serving a diverse set of end-markets, Stepan’s offerings address both consumer-facing and industrial applications.