Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $51.13 and traded as high as $51.92. Stepan shares last traded at $51.3070, with a volume of 79,859 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on SCL shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Stepan from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research downgraded Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Stepan has a consensus rating of “Sell”.

Stepan Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.26. The stock has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a PE ratio of -82.75 and a beta of 0.96. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $51.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.13.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $604.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $612.25 million. Stepan had a negative net margin of 0.61% and a positive return on equity of 2.65%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.84 EPS. Analysts expect that Stepan Company will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a $0.395 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $1.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -254.84%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Stepan by 86.9% in the 4th quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 570 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Stepan by 206.5% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 521 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 351 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC increased its stake in Stepan by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 10,325 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $516,000 after buying an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. increased its stake in Stepan by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 5,447 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in Stepan by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 8,936 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $488,000 after buying an additional 553 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

About Stepan

Stepan Company is a global manufacturer of specialty and intermediate chemicals, primarily known for its development and production of surfactants and related specialty products. The company’s portfolio includes a wide range of ingredients used to enhance the performance of consumer and industrial formulations, such as emulsifiers, foam control agents, odor control agents, antimicrobial products and performance additives. These products are integral components in cleaning solutions, personal care items, agrochemical formulations, coatings, oilfield treatments and polymer systems.

Serving a diverse set of end-markets, Stepan’s offerings address both consumer-facing and industrial applications.