Pullen Investment Management LLC Boosts Stake in Stepan Company $SCL

Pullen Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) by 43.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 40,337 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,122 shares during the quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC owned about 0.18% of Stepan worth $1,924,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the 2nd quarter worth $5,573,000. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Stepan by 6.7% during the second quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,336,855 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $72,966,000 after buying an additional 83,941 shares in the last quarter. CenterBook Partners LP grew its position in Stepan by 469.7% during the second quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 98,298 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,365,000 after buying an additional 81,045 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in Stepan during the second quarter worth about $3,390,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Stepan by 390.0% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 72,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,975,000 after buying an additional 57,967 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Stepan Stock Performance

Stepan stock opened at $51.20 on Wednesday. Stepan Company has a fifty-two week low of $41.82 and a fifty-two week high of $65.89. The company has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.86 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $46.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.30.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.12. Stepan had a return on equity of 3.70% and a net margin of 1.96%.The business had revenue of $590.28 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $593.65 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.03 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Stepan Company will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th were given a $0.395 dividend. This is a boost from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $1.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Stepan in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Stepan from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Stepan presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

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.