Seaport Res Ptn Has Negative Estimate for Stepan Q1 Earnings

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) – Research analysts at Seaport Res Ptn dropped their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for Stepan in a research report issued on Wednesday, February 26th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now anticipates that the basic materials company will post earnings of $0.54 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.92. The consensus estimate for Stepan’s current full-year earnings is $3.55 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Stepan’s Q4 2025 earnings at $0.65 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $3.00 EPS.

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

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th.

Stepan Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SCL opened at $58.08 on Monday. 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 has a 52 week low of $57.93 and a 52 week high of $94.76. The firm has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a PE ratio of 26.28 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $63.09 and its 200-day moving average is $70.84.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Stepan by 110.6% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP grew its position in shares of Stepan by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 6,606 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $427,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its stake 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 in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Stepan by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 12,146 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $786,000 after acquiring an additional 456 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its stake in Stepan by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 13,100 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $848,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stepan

In other Stepan news, Director Susan Lewis purchased 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $63.53 per share, for a total transaction of $31,765.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $120,452.88. The trade was a 35.82 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.68%.

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.