Equities Analysts Offer Predictions for Stepan’s Q2 2024 Earnings (NYSE:SCL)

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) – Equities research analysts at Seaport Res Ptn cut their Q2 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Stepan in a report released on Wednesday, April 17th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings of $0.79 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.81. The consensus estimate for Stepan’s current full-year earnings is $2.50 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Stepan’s Q3 2024 earnings at $0.83 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $0.56 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $2.55 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $4.80 EPS.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Stepan from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th.

Stepan Trading Up 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE:SCL opened at $84.17 on Thursday. Stepan has a 12-month low of $63.60 and a 12-month high of $100.61. The stock has a market cap of $1.89 billion, a PE ratio of 48.10 and a beta of 0.83. The business has a 50 day moving average of $88.00 and a 200-day moving average of $85.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.04). Stepan had a return on equity of 4.20% and a net margin of 1.73%. The business had revenue of $532.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $534.48 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.59 EPS. Stepan’s quarterly revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of Stepan by 2,141.7% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 269 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the third quarter worth $37,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Stepan by 277.5% during the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 453 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 333 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the fourth quarter worth $48,000. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Stepan

In other Stepan news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 3,637 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.11, for a total transaction of $327,730.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 255,567 shares in the company, valued at $23,029,142.37. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Stepan news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 3,637 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.11, for a total transaction of $327,730.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 255,567 shares in the company, valued at $23,029,142.37. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.43, for a total value of $174,860.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 250,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,916,602.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,637 shares of company stock worth $957,940. Company insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.71%.

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.