Stepan (SCL) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.39 on December 13th

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, October 30th,Zacks Dividends reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a dividend of 0.385 per share by the basic materials company on Friday, December 13th. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This is a boost from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38.

Stepan has increased its dividend payment by an average of 9.2% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 57 consecutive years. Stepan has a payout ratio of 39.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Stepan to earn $3.98 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.54 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 38.7%.

Stepan Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE:SCL opened at $75.87 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $75.67 and its 200 day moving average is $79.76. The stock has a market cap of $1.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.75 and a beta of 0.81. Stepan has a 52-week low of $69.78 and a 52-week high of $96.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.38. The business had revenue of $546.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $577.23 million. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.56% and a net margin of 2.10%. The business’s revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Stepan will post 2.54 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, November 17th.

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.