Stepan Co (SCL)

Over the past six months, Stepan Co.'s stock price has fluctuated, with a decline from $64.35 on January 30, 2025, to $57.00 as of January 29, 2026, but a gain to $62.78 on February 6, 2026. The 52-week range has been between $41.82 and $65.89. Stepan released its Q3 2025 results on October 29, 2025, reporting an EPS of $0.48, surpassing estimates. Quarterly revenue increased by 8.0% year-over-year, but adjusted net income decreased due to a higher tax rate and increased depreciation. The company closed the sale of its manufacturing assets in Lake Providence, Louisiana, on December 30, 2025. Analysts have a median target of $75.00 for Stepan’s stock.

Demand for Stepan Co.'s products is influenced by seasonal and cyclical trends, with earnings tied to product demand across household, personal care, and industrial markets. Approximately 40% of its sales are made to cyclical industries. Raw material costs, particularly natural gas and petroleum-based products, significantly impact Stepan's margins. The company is diversifying its market mix, focusing on agricultural chemicals, oilfield chemicals, alkoxylation, and spray-foam-like chemicals.

Stepan Co. is a global manufacturer of specialty and intermediate chemicals, operating in the Surfactants, Polymers, and Specialty Products segments. The Surfactants segment produces cleaning agents for consumer and industrial products. The Polymers segment manufactures polyurethane polyols for thermal insulation and components for coatings and adhesives. The Specialty Products segment offers chemicals for food, flavoring, nutritional supplements, and pharmaceutical applications.

Stepan Co. has a global presence with facilities in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. The United States is its largest market, accounting for 60% of its revenue, followed by Poland (10%), France (9%), Brazil (6%), and the U.K. (5%), with the remaining 10% from other parts of the world.

Stepan Company has a reputation for technical expertise, customer intimacy, and continuous improvement. The company has demonstrated a commitment to sustainability and corporate responsibility, ranking first in the U.S. Chemical-Specialty sector and eighth overall in Investor's Business Daily's 100 Best ESG Companies Report in 2022. It also maintained a gold ranking from EcoVadis and became a formal supporter of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) in 2022.

Stepan Co.'s ownership is distributed among institutional investors (54.55%), insiders (5.26%), and public companies and individual investors (40.20%). Major institutional shareholders include BlackRock, Inc., Vanguard Group Inc., and HighTower Advisors, LLC. F. Quinn Stepan Jr. is a significant individual shareholder.