Quantbot Technologies LP Raises Holdings in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Quantbot Technologies LP increased its position in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 334.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,102 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 7,778 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Stepan were worth $780,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in SCL. Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Stepan by 3,053.3% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Stepan during the third quarter worth $48,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in Stepan during the 2nd quarter valued at $59,000. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of Stepan by 43.9% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 934 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the period. Finally, 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Stepan in the 2nd quarter worth $123,000. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Stepan Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of Stepan stock opened at $76.90 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market cap of $1.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.26 and a beta of 0.81. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $75.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $79.48. Stepan has a 52-week low of $69.78 and a 52-week high of $96.68.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.38. The business had revenue of $546.84 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $577.23 million. Stepan had a net margin of 2.10% and a return on equity of 4.56%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Stepan will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a dividend of $0.385 per share. This is a positive change from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com raised Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 17th.

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.