2,647 Shares in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Purchased by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,647 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $204,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCL. Quest Partners LLC raised its position in Stepan by 3,053.3% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stepan during the second quarter worth approximately $59,000. Adirondack Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Stepan by 60.0% during the second quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Stepan during the second quarter worth approximately $123,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Stepan during the second quarter worth approximately $129,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP David Kabbes purchased 1,056 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $71.39 per share, with a total value of $75,387.84. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president now directly owns 1,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $75,387.84. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 7.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Stepan Price Performance

SCL opened at $76.02 on Friday. Stepan has a one year low of $64.15 and a one year high of $96.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $75.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $81.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.69 and a beta of 0.80.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.26). Stepan had a net margin of 1.58% and a return on equity of 3.83%. The company had revenue of $556.41 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $581.30 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.53 earnings per share. Stepan’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 2.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.97%. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.04%.

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.