SG Americas Securities LLC Has $3.19 Million Stock Position in Stepan Company $SCL

SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) by 37.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,873 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,463 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC owned about 0.28% of Stepan worth $3,192,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings 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 period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 206.5% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 521 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 351 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Stepan by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 9,923 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $470,000 after acquiring an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Stepan by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 8,936 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $488,000 after acquiring an additional 553 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in Stepan by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 12,701 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $699,000 after acquiring an additional 555 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Stepan Stock Performance

Shares of Stepan stock opened at $55.66 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $52.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a P/E ratio of -89.78 and a beta of 0.96. Stepan Company has a fifty-two week low of $41.82 and a fifty-two week high of $68.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%.Stepan’s revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.84 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Stepan Company will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were paid a dividend of $0.395 per share. This represents a $1.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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.