Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL)’s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $51.13 and traded as high as $51.92. Stepan shares last traded at $51.3070, with a volume of 79,859 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on SCL shares. Zacks Research lowered Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings lowered Stepan from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Sell”.

Stepan Trading Down 0.5%

The company has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of -82.75 and a beta of 0.96. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $51.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $604.51 million during 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%.The business’s revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.84 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Stepan Company will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $0.395 per share. This represents a $1.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Stepan’s payout ratio is currently -254.84%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Stepan by 206.5% during 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 in the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Stepan by 86.9% in the fourth quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 570 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Stepan by 700.0% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Stepan in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Stepan in the third quarter valued at $43,000. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.