Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Reduces Holdings in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,181 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 329 shares during the quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Stepan were worth $246,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SCL. Quest Partners LLC increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 458 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Stepan in the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Stepan in the 2nd quarter valued at $59,000. Adirondack Trust Co. grew its holdings in Stepan by 60.0% in the 2nd quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Stepan by 43.9% in 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. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stepan Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of Stepan stock opened at $76.09 on Friday. 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 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.86 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $75.67 and a 200 day moving average of $79.64.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $546.84 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $577.23 million. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.56% and a net margin of 2.10%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Stepan will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Stepan 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.