Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd Acquires 7,542 Shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd lifted its stake in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 238.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,706 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 7,542 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd’s holdings in Stepan were worth $693,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SCL. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Stepan by 110.6% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its stake in Stepan by 40.8% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,315 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Stepan during the third quarter valued at approximately $170,000. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in Stepan during the fourth quarter worth $239,000. Finally, Howe & Rusling Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 24.5% in the 4th quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 4,254 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $275,000 after purchasing an additional 837 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th.

Stepan Trading Down 1.8 %

SCL opened at $47.60 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.54 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company’s 50 day moving average is $59.33 and its 200-day moving average is $67.52. Stepan has a 1-year low of $45.94 and a 1-year high of $94.77.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.33). Stepan had a return on equity of 4.21% and a net margin of 2.31%. The company had revenue of $525.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $520.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.33 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Stepan will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.385 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.24%. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.68%.

Insider Activity

In other Stepan news, Director Susan Lewis purchased 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $63.53 per share, with a total value of $31,765.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $120,452.88. The trade was a 35.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 6.90% 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.