Odyssean LLC Takes Position in Stepan Company $SCL

Odyssean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 11,775 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $656,000. Odyssean LLC owned 0.05% of Stepan as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in Stepan by 8.3% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 11,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $617,000 after buying an additional 859 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Stepan during the first quarter valued at approximately $818,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in Stepan by 4.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 12,701 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $699,000 after acquiring an additional 555 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in Stepan by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 66,301 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,649,000 after acquiring an additional 2,707 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new stake in Stepan during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $495,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Stepan Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SCL opened at $62.60 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $59.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -521.67 and a beta of 0.94. Stepan Company has a one year low of $41.82 and a one year high of $68.00.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.57. Stepan had a negative net margin of 0.11% and a positive return on equity of 3.90%. The company had revenue of $684.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $635.85 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Stepan Company will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.395 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $1.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Stepan’s payout ratio is -1,316.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SCL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Stepan from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Stepan in a report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Stepan from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Stepan currently has an average 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.