Research Analysts Issue Forecasts for Stepan FY2024 Earnings

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) – Research analysts at Seaport Res Ptn decreased their FY2024 earnings estimates for shares of Stepan in a research note issued on Wednesday, January 22nd. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $2.39 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $2.60. The consensus estimate for Stepan’s current full-year earnings is $2.53 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Stepan’s Q4 2024 earnings at $0.31 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $0.92 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.98 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.60 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $3.54 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $4.79 EPS.

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th.

Stepan Stock Performance

Shares of SCL stock opened at $63.51 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.60 and a beta of 0.84. Stepan has a fifty-two week low of $59.70 and a fifty-two week high of $94.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $69.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $74.83.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.38. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.56% and a net margin of 2.10%. The firm had revenue of $546.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $577.23 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.64 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a $0.385 dividend. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.42%. This is a boost from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.62%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stepan

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SCL. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Stepan by 177.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,460,000 after acquiring an additional 28,655 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Stepan by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 486,976 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,626,000 after buying an additional 4,777 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 142,790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $11,031,000 after acquiring an additional 23,626 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Stepan by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,195,187 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $92,328,000 after acquiring an additional 17,530 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Stepan by 110.6% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Stepan

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.