Stepan (NYSE:SCL) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.39

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 19th, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of 0.385 per share by the basic materials company on Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd.

Stepan has raised its dividend by an average of 6.5% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 57 years. Stepan has a dividend payout ratio of 33.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Stepan to earn $4.79 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.54 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 32.2%.

Stepan Stock Performance

Stepan stock opened at $61.68 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $63.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.96. Stepan has a twelve month low of $59.55 and a twelve month high of $94.76. The company has a market capitalization of $1.39 billion, a PE ratio of 27.91 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.33). Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The company had revenue of $525.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $520.97 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.33 EPS. Stepan’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th.

Insider Transactions at Stepan

In related news, Director Susan Lewis purchased 500 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $63.53 per share, for a total transaction of $31,765.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $120,452.88. The trade was a 35.82 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.90% 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.