Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Shares Acquired by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 24.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,591 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 908 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Stepan were worth $385,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quest Partners LLC raised its position in Stepan by 3,053.3% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 458 shares during the period. Clarity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Stepan during the 2nd quarter valued at about $59,000. Adirondack Trust Co. raised its holdings in Stepan by 60.0% in the 2nd quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TFO Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Stepan by 93,200.0% in the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 933 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 932 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 28th.

Stepan Price Performance

SCL stock opened at $74.47 on Tuesday. Stepan has a 52-week low of $63.60 and a 52-week high of $96.68. The business has a fifty day moving average of $79.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $83.55. The stock has a market cap of $1.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.86 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.26). The company had revenue of $556.41 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $581.30 million. Stepan had a net margin of 1.58% and a return on equity of 3.83%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.53 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 2.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were given a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Stepan’s payout ratio is 90.36%.

Insider Transactions at Stepan

In other news, VP David Kabbes bought 1,056 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $71.39 per share, for a total transaction of $75,387.84. Following the acquisition, the vice president now directly owns 1,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $75,387.84. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Stepan 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.