Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Rating Increased to Hold at Zacks Research

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Stepan from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Stepan has an average rating of “Reduce”.

Stepan Stock Performance

SCL stock opened at $56.43 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $52.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Stepan has a 12-month low of $41.82 and a 12-month high of $68.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of -91.01 and a beta of 0.95.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $604.51 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $612.25 million. Stepan had a positive return on equity of 2.65% and a negative net margin of 0.61%.Stepan’s revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.84 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Stepan will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Stepan

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SCL. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Stepan by 206.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 521 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 351 shares during the period. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Stepan by 86.9% during the 4th quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 570 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Stepan by 700.0% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 602 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Stepan in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in Stepan during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

About Stepan

Stepan Company is a global manufacturer of specialty and intermediate chemicals, primarily known for its development and production of surfactants and related specialty products. The company’s portfolio includes a wide range of ingredients used to enhance the performance of consumer and industrial formulations, such as emulsifiers, foam control agents, odor control agents, antimicrobial products and performance additives. These products are integral components in cleaning solutions, personal care items, agrochemical formulations, coatings, oilfield treatments and polymer systems.

Serving a diverse set of end-markets, Stepan’s offerings address both consumer-facing and industrial applications.