BNP Paribas Financial Markets Sells 1,894 Shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lowered its position in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 22.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,577 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,894 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Stepan were worth $508,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of SCL. Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings 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. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan during the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Stepan during the 2nd quarter worth $59,000. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Stepan by 43.9% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 934 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the period. Finally, 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Stepan in the 2nd quarter worth about $123,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Stepan Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE:SCL opened at $73.53 on Friday. Stepan has a 12 month low of $69.78 and a 12 month high of $96.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $75.27 and its 200 day moving average is $78.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.65 billion, a PE ratio of 36.58 and a beta of 0.82.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $546.84 million for 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 business’s revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.64 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Stepan will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This is a positive change from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.