International Assets Investment Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 7,700.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,190 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,085 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Stepan were worth $633,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quest Partners LLC raised its stake in Stepan by 3,053.3% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Stepan in the 3rd quarter worth $48,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Stepan in the 2nd quarter worth $59,000. Adirondack Trust Co. raised its stake in Stepan by 60.0% in the 2nd quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Stepan in the 2nd quarter worth $123,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Stepan news, VP David Kabbes bought 1,056 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $71.39 per share, for a total transaction of $75,387.84. Following the transaction, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 7.00% of the company’s stock.

Stepan Stock Performance

NYSE SCL opened at $74.33 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $74.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $80.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.98 and a beta of 0.81. Stepan has a fifty-two week low of $69.78 and a fifty-two week high of $96.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.27.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.38. The business had revenue of $546.84 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $577.23 million. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.56% and a net margin of 2.10%. The company’s revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.64 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Stepan will post 2.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a dividend of $0.385 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This is a boost from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 74.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st.

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.