Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Grows Stock Position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its position in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,431 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,215 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. owned approximately 0.09% of Stepan worth $1,322,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Stepan by 110.6% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Stepan by 40.8% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,315 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 381 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Stepan in the 3rd quarter valued at $161,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Stepan in the third quarter valued at about $168,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Stepan in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $170,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stepan

In other Stepan 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, for a total transaction of $31,765.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at $120,452.88. This trade represents a 35.82 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 6.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Stepan Price Performance

SCL stock opened at $57.39 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $61.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.97 and a beta of 0.82. Stepan has a 1 year low of $56.50 and a 1 year high of $94.77.

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

Stepan Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.385 dividend. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Stepan’s payout ratio is 69.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Stepan Company 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.