CenterBook Partners LP Has $1.59 Million Holdings in Stepan Company $SCL

CenterBook Partners LP cut its stake in Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) by 66.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,615 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 67,117 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP owned approximately 0.15% of Stepan worth $1,592,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in Stepan by 86.9% in the 4th quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 570 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Stepan by 206.5% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 521 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 351 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Stepan by 700.0% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 602 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Stepan in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Stepan in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Stepan Trading Up 2.0%

NYSE SCL opened at $52.48 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $1.19 billion, a PE ratio of -84.65 and a beta of 0.96. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $51.29 and a 200-day moving average of $51.32. Stepan Company has a 12 month low of $41.82 and a 12 month high of $68.00. 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 (NYSE:SCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $604.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $612.25 million. Stepan had a negative net margin of 0.61% and a positive return on equity of 2.65%. Stepan’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.84 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Stepan Company will post 2.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a $0.395 dividend. This represents a $1.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -254.84%.

Stepan Profile

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.