Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd Takes Position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 3,164 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $244,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 27.1% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 5,834 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $451,000 after purchasing an additional 1,243 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Stepan by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 374,220 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,908,000 after buying an additional 18,854 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Stepan in the third quarter valued at about $392,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Stepan in the third quarter valued at about $370,000. Finally, Howe & Rusling Inc. raised its stake in Stepan by 24.8% during the third quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 3,417 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Stepan Stock Performance

Shares of Stepan stock opened at $76.90 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $75.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $79.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.26 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 current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.38. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.56% and a net margin of 2.10%. The company had revenue of $546.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $577.23 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.64 EPS. Stepan’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Stepan will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a $0.385 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.00%. This is an increase from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 17th.

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.