New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 1,800 Shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

New York State Teachers Retirement System lessened its position in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,353 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,800 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Stepan were worth $2,158,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SCL. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Stepan by 7,700.0% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 8,190 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $633,000 after purchasing an additional 8,085 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Stepan by 924.5% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 82,901 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,404,000 after buying an additional 74,809 shares during the last quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the third quarter valued at about $390,000. Semanteon Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the third quarter valued at about $1,195,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in Stepan by 6.4% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 13,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 817 shares during the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Stepan Stock Down 1.8 %

Stepan stock opened at $62.76 on Friday. Stepan has a twelve month low of $59.55 and a twelve month high of $94.76. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $63.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.30. The company has a market capitalization of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.40 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

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

Stepan Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.