Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Short Interest Update

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 350,900 shares, a growth of 24.0% from the October 15th total of 283,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 112,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.1 days. Approximately 1.6% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Stepan Price Performance

Shares of SCL stock traded down $0.65 on Friday, hitting $75.25. 18,166 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 92,310. The stock has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.74 and a beta of 0.81. Stepan has a 12 month low of $69.78 and a 12 month high of $96.68. The company has a 50 day moving average of $75.21 and a 200 day moving average of $80.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.38. Stepan had a net margin of 2.10% and a return on equity of 4.56%. The firm had revenue of $546.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $577.23 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Stepan will post 2.54 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.05%. This is a positive change from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. Stepan’s payout ratio is presently 74.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SCL. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Stepan by 409.2% in 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 purchasing an additional 73,976 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan during the 3rd quarter valued at $161,000. Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in Stepan in the third quarter worth $357,000. Walleye Capital LLC increased its stake in Stepan by 115.4% in the third quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 6,732 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $520,000 after acquiring an additional 3,607 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP raised its position in Stepan by 334.7% during the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 10,102 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $780,000 after purchasing an additional 7,778 shares in the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.