Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.39, Briefing.com reports. Stepan had a net margin of 1.58% and a return on equity of 3.83%. The company had revenue of $546.84 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $577.23 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.64 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Stepan Stock Performance

SCL stock traded down $1.45 during trading on Thursday, reaching $73.00. The stock had a trading volume of 49,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 91,458. The firm has a market cap of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of 48.62 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $75.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.85. Stepan has a 52 week low of $69.78 and a 52 week high of $96.68.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This is a boost from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is 98.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 28th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stepan

In related news, VP David Kabbes bought 1,056 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $71.39 per share, with a total value of $75,387.84. Following the acquisition, the vice president now owns 1,056 shares in the company, valued at $75,387.84. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 7.00% of the company’s stock.

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.