Savant Capital LLC Sells 615 Shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Savant Capital LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 7.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,375 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 615 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Stepan were worth $697,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Stepan by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,165,082 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $162,317,000 after acquiring an additional 162,560 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Stepan by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 323,931 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $24,285,000 after buying an additional 2,742 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Stepan by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 297,986 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $22,340,000 after buying an additional 14,267 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Stepan by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 278,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $20,894,000 after buying an additional 8,199 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 177,121 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $16,747,000 after acquiring an additional 1,547 shares during the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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

Stepan Stock Performance

NYSE:SCL opened at $85.70 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.63 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a 50 day moving average of $86.61 and a 200 day moving average of $86.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Stepan has a 1-year low of $63.60 and a 1-year high of $100.61.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.29. Stepan had a net margin of 1.71% and a return on equity of 4.04%. The firm had revenue of $551.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $575.83 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.71 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Stepan will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. Stepan’s payout ratio is 90.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.