Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Grows Stock Position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 43.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,187 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,390 shares during the quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in Stepan were worth $724,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Stepan by 110.6% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Stepan in the third quarter valued at approximately $161,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Stepan during the third quarter worth approximately $168,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Stepan during the third quarter worth approximately $170,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Stepan Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of SCL opened at $61.68 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.91 and a beta of 0.84. Stepan has a 12-month low of $59.55 and a 12-month high of $94.76. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $63.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $525.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $520.97 million. Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.33 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Stepan will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.68%.

Insider Transactions at Stepan

In other Stepan news, Director Susan Lewis purchased 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $63.53 per share, with a total value of $31,765.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $120,452.88. This trade represents a 35.82 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.