Seaport Res Ptn Weighs in on Stepan’s Q1 Earnings (NYSE:SCL)

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) – Investment analysts at Seaport Res Ptn lowered their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Stepan in a note issued to investors on Monday, November 11th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now expects that the basic materials company will earn $1.15 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.18. The consensus estimate for Stepan’s current full-year earnings is $2.09 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Stepan’s Q2 2025 earnings at $1.23 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $4.25 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $5.41 EPS.

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th.

Stepan Stock Performance

NYSE:SCL opened at $76.41 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.72 billion, a PE ratio of 38.02 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Stepan has a 1 year low of $69.78 and a 1 year high of $96.68. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $75.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.36.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 EPS 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 company posted $0.64 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.385 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This is a positive change from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.02%. Stepan’s payout ratio is 74.63%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SCL. Quest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Stepan by 3,053.3% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Stepan during the third quarter worth about $48,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Stepan during the second quarter valued at about $59,000. Adirondack Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of 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 period. Finally, 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 valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

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.