Algert Global LLC Makes New $690,000 Investment in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Algert Global LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 10,666 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $690,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCL. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Stepan during the fourth quarter worth approximately $7,545,000. Southernsun Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Stepan by 24.0% during the fourth quarter. Southernsun Asset Management LLC now owns 383,685 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $24,824,000 after purchasing an additional 74,238 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Stepan by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 451,123 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $29,188,000 after purchasing an additional 54,943 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Stepan by 47.3% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 145,802 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $9,433,000 after purchasing an additional 46,846 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Stepan by 23.3% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 176,066 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $11,391,000 after purchasing an additional 33,276 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Stepan Stock Performance

Shares of Stepan stock opened at $53.79 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $52.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $62.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.34 and a beta of 1.00. Stepan has a 12 month low of $44.23 and a 12 month high of $94.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $593.26 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $562.77 million. Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.64 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Stepan will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $0.385 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.86%. Stepan’s payout ratio is 62.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Susan Lewis acquired 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $63.53 per share, with a total value of $31,765.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $120,452.88. This represents a 35.82% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Stepan Profile

Stepan Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells specialty and intermediate chemicals to other manufacturers for use in various end products worldwide. It operates through three segments: Surfactants, Polymers, and Specialty Products. The Surfactants segment offers surfactants that are used in consumer and industrial cleaning and disinfection products, including detergents for washing clothes, dishes, carpets, and floors and walls, as well as shampoos and body washes; and other applications, such as fabric softeners, germicidal quaternary compounds, disinfectants, and lubricating ingredients.