Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Buy Rating

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Sunday.

Stepan Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SCL opened at $74.74 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.18 and a beta of 0.81. 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 has a 12 month low of $69.78 and a 12 month high of $96.68. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $75.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.24.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $546.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $577.23 million. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.56% and a net margin of 2.10%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Stepan by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,279,450 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $107,421,000 after acquiring an additional 34,264 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 1.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,195,187 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $92,328,000 after purchasing an additional 17,530 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Stepan by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 747,140 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $62,730,000 after purchasing an additional 52,944 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Stepan by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 486,976 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,777 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its holdings in Stepan by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 424,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,613,000 after buying an additional 17,361 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

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.