Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $51.71 and traded as high as $54.97. Stepan shares last traded at $53.8890, with a volume of 105,572 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on SCL. Weiss Ratings cut Stepan from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Sell”.

Stepan Trading Down 0.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a P/E ratio of -86.92 and a beta of 0.96. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $51.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.71.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.06. Stepan had a positive return on equity of 2.65% and a negative net margin of 0.61%.The business had revenue of $604.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $612.25 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.84 earnings per share. Stepan’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Stepan Company will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a dividend of $0.395 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $1.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Stepan’s payout ratio is presently -254.84%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Stepan by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 586,473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,975,000 after purchasing an additional 45,520 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Stepan by 166.8% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 46,410 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,198,000 after acquiring an additional 29,017 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC lifted its stake in shares of Stepan by 209.1% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 160,874 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $7,674,000 after acquiring an additional 108,826 shares during the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Stepan during the 3rd quarter valued at about $8,620,000. Finally, Numerai GP LLC grew its position in Stepan by 67.7% during the 3rd quarter. Numerai GP LLC now owns 64,721 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,087,000 after acquiring an additional 26,136 shares during the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stepan Company 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.