Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Raised to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Sunday.

Stepan Price Performance

SCL stock opened at $54.32 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of 24.58 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $52.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.35. Stepan has a 1 year low of $44.23 and a 1 year high of $94.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.33. Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The business had revenue of $593.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $562.77 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stepan

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Forum Financial Management LP grew its stake in shares of Stepan by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 6,606 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $427,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its position in Stepan by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 14,057 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $774,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 67.9% during the 1st quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in Stepan by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 12,146 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $786,000 after purchasing an additional 456 shares during the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.