Stepan (NYSE:SCL) to Post Q2 2024 Earnings of $0.79 Per Share, Seaport Res Ptn Forecasts

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) – Equities research analysts at Seaport Res Ptn lowered their Q2 2024 EPS estimates for Stepan in a report released on Wednesday, April 17th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now expects that the basic materials company will post earnings of $0.79 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.81. The consensus estimate for Stepan’s current full-year earnings is $2.53 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Stepan’s Q3 2024 earnings at $0.83 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $0.56 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $2.55 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $4.80 EPS.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Stepan from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th.

Stepan Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE SCL opened at $82.06 on Thursday. Stepan has a fifty-two week low of $63.60 and a fifty-two week high of $100.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.40. The company has a market cap of $1.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.89 and a beta of 0.83. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $88.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $85.01.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $532.13 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $534.48 million. Stepan had a net margin of 1.73% and a return on equity of 4.20%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.59 earnings per share.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.71%.

Insider Transactions at Stepan

In other Stepan news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.43, for a total transaction of $174,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 250,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,916,602.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Stepan news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.43, for a total transaction of $174,860.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 250,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,916,602.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 3,637 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.11, for a total transaction of $327,730.07. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 255,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,029,142.37. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 10,637 shares of company stock valued at $957,940. 6.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Stepan

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in shares of Stepan by 3.1% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 3,733,939 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $368,951,000 after buying an additional 112,113 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Stepan by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,562,730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $242,306,000 after acquiring an additional 14,038 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Stepan by 8.1% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,165,082 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $162,317,000 after acquiring an additional 162,560 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Stepan by 6.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,991,501 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $190,308,000 after purchasing an additional 125,582 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Stepan by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,201,133 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $113,568,000 after purchasing an additional 31,641 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

About Stepan

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.