Research Analysts Set Expectations for Stepan Q2 Earnings

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) – Stock analysts at Seaport Res Ptn decreased their Q2 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Stepan in a research note issued on Wednesday, January 22nd. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now expects that the basic materials company will earn $1.03 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.23. The consensus estimate for Stepan’s current full-year earnings is $2.53 per share.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.38. The business had revenue of $546.84 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $577.23 million. Stepan had a net margin of 2.10% and a return on equity of 4.56%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS.

Separately, StockNews.com cut Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th.

Stepan Stock Performance

NYSE:SCL opened at $63.35 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.52 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Stepan has a 1 year low of $59.70 and a 1 year high of $95.33. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $69.67 and a 200-day moving average of $74.91.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCL. KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Stepan by 40.8% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,315 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its position in Stepan by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 6,208 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $402,000 after buying an additional 857 shares during the last quarter. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. boosted its position in Stepan by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. now owns 62,486 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,043,000 after buying an additional 1,773 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 110.6% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Stepan by 19.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 142,790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $11,031,000 after acquiring an additional 23,626 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.385 per share. This is an increase from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is 76.62%.

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.