Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Shares Sold by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC cut its holdings in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 66.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,145 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,247 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Stepan were worth $108,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can grew its holdings in shares of Stepan by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 18,485 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,875,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Stepan by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,462 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Stepan by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 4,534 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $425,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in Stepan by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 3,031 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 4,316 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $459,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stepan Stock Performance

Shares of SCL stock opened at $84.17 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.10 and a beta of 0.83. Stepan has a 1-year low of $63.60 and a 1-year high of $100.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $88.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $85.09.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $532.13 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $534.48 million. Stepan had a net margin of 1.73% and a return on equity of 4.20%. The company’s revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.59 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Stepan will post 2.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.71%.

Insider Activity

In related 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 owns 250,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,916,602.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Stepan news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $455,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 255,567 shares in the company, valued at $23,274,486.69. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now owns 250,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,916,602.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,637 shares of company stock worth $957,940 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.