Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Reduces Holdings in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lowered its position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 14.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 27,601 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 4,797 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Stepan were worth $1,786,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCL. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Stepan by 110.6% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Stepan by 40.8% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,315 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Stepan in the 3rd quarter valued at $161,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Stepan in the 3rd quarter worth $168,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Stepan during the 3rd quarter worth $170,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Stepan

In related news, Director Susan Lewis acquired 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $63.53 per share, with a total value of $31,765.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $120,452.88. This trade represents a 35.82 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 6.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Stepan Stock Performance

Stepan stock opened at $55.40 on Friday. The stock has a market cap 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 current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $60.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.54. Stepan has a 1-year low of $54.89 and a 1-year high of $94.77.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). Stepan had a return on equity of 4.21% and a net margin of 2.31%. The business had revenue of $525.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $520.97 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.33 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

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