Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Stepan Company $SCL

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) by 5.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 947,452 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 47,075 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned 4.18% of Stepan worth $47,354,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. lifted 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 purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 351 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Stepan by 700.0% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 602 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of Stepan in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Stepan Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:SCL opened at $55.95 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $52.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.33. 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 Company has a 12-month low of $41.82 and a 12-month high of $68.00. The firm has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -90.24 and a beta of 0.95.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 the consensus estimate of $612.25 million. Stepan had a negative net margin of 0.61% and a positive return on equity of 2.65%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.84 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Stepan Company will post 2.35 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a $0.395 dividend. This represents a $1.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Stepan’s payout ratio is presently -254.84%.

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.