O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. Has $4.69 Million Position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. raised its position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,713 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 710 shares during the period. Stepan comprises approximately 1.4% of O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. owned 0.27% of Stepan worth $4,690,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in Stepan by 3,053.3% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares during the period. Clarity Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Stepan during the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stepan during the 2nd quarter valued at about $59,000. Adirondack Trust Co. increased its stake in Stepan by 60.0% in the second 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 period. Finally, 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Stepan in the second quarter worth about $123,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP David Kabbes bought 1,056 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $71.39 per share, for a total transaction of $75,387.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,056 shares in the company, valued at $75,387.84. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 6.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Stepan Stock Down 2.6 %

SCL opened at $74.25 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.73 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.32. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $75.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.32. Stepan has a twelve month low of $63.60 and a twelve month high of $96.68.

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). Stepan had a net margin of 1.58% and a return on equity of 3.83%. The business had revenue of $556.41 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $581.30 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.53 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 2.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is currently 90.36%.

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.