Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

Stepan Stock Performance

NYSE:SCL opened at $62.76 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $63.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.32. The stock has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.40 and a beta of 0.84. Stepan has a twelve month low of $59.55 and a twelve month high of $94.76.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced 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 net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Stepan in the fourth quarter worth $7,545,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its position in shares of Stepan by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 638,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,311,000 after buying an additional 108,556 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 924.5% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 82,901 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,404,000 after acquiring an additional 74,809 shares in the last quarter. Southernsun Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Stepan by 24.0% during the 4th quarter. Southernsun Asset Management LLC now owns 383,685 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $24,824,000 after acquiring an additional 74,238 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake in Stepan by 409.2% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 92,053 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $7,111,000 after acquiring an additional 73,976 shares in the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.