Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Upgraded at Zacks Research
by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat GemStepan (NYSE:SCL – Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.
Separately, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Stepan from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Stepan has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on SCL
Stepan Price Performance
Shares of Stepan stock opened at $56.43 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $52.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $52.56. Stepan has a 52 week low of $41.82 and a 52 week high of $68.00. The company has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -91.01 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.
Stepan (NYSE:SCL – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $604.51 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $612.25 million. Stepan had a positive return on equity of 2.65% and a negative net margin of 0.61%.The firm’s revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.84 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Stepan will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Institutional Trading of Stepan
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 29.5% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 900,377 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $42,642,000 after acquiring an additional 205,157 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Stepan by 195.5% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 299,970 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $14,207,000 after purchasing an additional 198,457 shares during the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Stepan in the 3rd quarter worth about $8,620,000. Algert Global LLC boosted its position in shares of Stepan by 209.1% during the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 160,874 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $7,674,000 after buying an additional 108,826 shares during the period. Finally, Towle & Co. bought a new position in shares of Stepan during the first quarter valued at approximately $5,295,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.
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.