Versant Capital Management Inc Buys 240 Shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 110.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Stepan were worth $30,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SCL. Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Stepan by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 4,210 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $353,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Stepan by 43.9% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 934 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 10,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $811,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 458 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Stepan by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 70,876 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,951,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stepan Stock Down 2.0 %

SCL stock opened at $62.28 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Stepan has a 52 week low of $61.89 and a 52 week high of $95.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a PE ratio of 30.99 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $72.60 and a 200 day moving average of $76.39.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced 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. Stepan had a net margin of 2.10% and a return on equity of 4.56%. The firm had revenue of $546.84 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $577.23 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Stepan will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a dividend of $0.385 per share. This is an increase from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.47%. Stepan’s payout ratio is 76.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note 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.