Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. reduced its position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 24.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,426 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 6,052 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in Stepan were worth $1,742,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in SCL. Burney Co. lifted its holdings in Stepan by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Burney Co. now owns 4,802 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $360,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Stepan by 2,141.7% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 269 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of Stepan by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $357,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC raised its stake in shares of Stepan by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 34,715 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,603,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Stepan by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 23,167 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,737,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Stepan

In other Stepan news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.43, for a total value of $174,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 250,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,916,602.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $455,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 255,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,274,486.69. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.43, for a total transaction of $174,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 250,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,916,602.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,637 shares of company stock valued at $957,940 in the last quarter. Insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Stepan Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SCL opened at $83.98 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Stepan has a fifty-two week low of $63.60 and a fifty-two week high of $100.61. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $87.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $85.50. The company has a market cap of $1.89 billion, a PE ratio of 47.99 and a beta of 0.83.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.04). Stepan had a net margin of 1.73% and a return on equity of 4.20%. The business had revenue of $532.13 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $534.48 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.59 EPS. Stepan’s quarterly revenue was down 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 2.52 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stepan from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th.

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.