Edgestream Partners L.P. Acquires New Stake in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 23,974 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,013,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. owned 0.11% of Stepan at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Stepan in the fourth quarter valued at $12,869,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Stepan by 51.1% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 211,302 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $17,741,000 after acquiring an additional 71,431 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Stepan by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,279,450 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $107,421,000 after purchasing an additional 34,264 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Stepan by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 323,556 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,592,000 after purchasing an additional 25,570 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Stepan by 36.3% in the 1st quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 70,376 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,337,000 after purchasing an additional 18,733 shares during the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Stepan Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of Stepan stock opened at $77.57 on Friday. Stepan has a 12-month low of $63.60 and a 12-month high of $96.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a PE ratio of 46.73 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. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $79.11 and its 200-day moving average is $83.42.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted 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). Stepan had a return on equity of 3.83% and a net margin of 1.58%. The company had revenue of $556.41 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $581.30 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.53 EPS. Stepan’s quarterly revenue was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 2.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.93%. Stepan’s payout ratio is currently 90.36%.

Insider Transactions at Stepan

In other Stepan news, VP David Kabbes purchased 1,056 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $71.39 per share, with a total value of $75,387.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $75,387.84. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 6.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.