Intech Investment Management LLC Sells 2,848 Shares of Stepan Company $SCL

Intech Investment Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) by 15.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,257 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,848 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Stepan were worth $833,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its stake in Stepan by 10.6% in the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 109,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,018,000 after purchasing an additional 10,464 shares in the last quarter. Grace & White Inc. NY increased its holdings in Stepan by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Grace & White Inc. NY now owns 143,363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $7,825,000 after buying an additional 8,350 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stepan in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $274,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 426,421 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $23,470,000 after acquiring an additional 23,022 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Stepan by 60.8% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,773 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 2,560 shares in the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stepan Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of SCL stock opened at $45.55 on Thursday. Stepan Company has a 1-year low of $41.82 and a 1-year high of $77.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.01 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $45.70 and a 200-day moving average of $50.80.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $590.28 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $593.65 million. Stepan had a net margin of 1.96% and a return on equity of 3.70%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.03 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Stepan Company will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th will be given a $0.395 dividend. This represents a $1.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 28th. This is a positive change from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is presently 79.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on SCL. Zacks Research upgraded Stepan from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Stepan in a research note on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce”.

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.