Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Shares Bought by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 13.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 451,123 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 54,943 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Stepan were worth $29,188,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Stepan by 110.6% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in shares of Stepan by 40.8% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,315 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Stepan in the third quarter worth $161,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan in the third quarter valued at $168,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Stepan during the third quarter valued at $170,000. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stepan Stock Performance

Shares of SCL opened at $55.40 on Friday. Stepan has a 1 year low of $54.89 and a 1 year high of $94.77. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $60.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $68.56. The company has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.07 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.21.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.33). The business had revenue of $525.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $520.97 million. Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The company’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.33 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.385 dividend. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Stepan’s payout ratio is 69.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stepan

In related news, Director Susan Lewis acquired 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $63.53 per share, with a total value of $31,765.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $120,452.88. This represents a 35.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 6.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Stepan 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.