SCL Stock Analysis: Stepan | NYSE

Specialty Chemicals | NYSE, USA | Market Cap: 1.289m USD | 12M Return: -3.6% | Charts, Fundamentals & Technical Analysis

Surfactants, Polyurethane Polyols, Polyester Resins, Phthalic Anhydride
Total Rating 32
Safety 77
Buy Signal -0.34
Specialty Chemicals
Industry Rotation: -1.8
Market Cap: 1.29B
Avg Turnover: 8.47M
Risk 3d forecast
Volatility31.6%
VaR 5th Pctl5.31%
VaR vs Median2.01%
Reward TTM
Sharpe Ratio-0.03
Rel. Str. IBD46.1
Rel. Str. Peer Group52.7
Character TTM
Beta0.896
Beta Downside1.215
Hurst Exponent0.593
Drawdowns 3y
Max DD54.08%
CAGR/Max DD-0.26
CAGR/Mean DD-0.49
EPS (Earnings per Share) EPS (Earnings per Share) of SCL over the last years for every Quarter: "2021-06": 1.81, "2021-09": 1.57, "2021-12": 0.97, "2022-03": 1.76, "2022-06": 2.3, "2022-09": 2.01, "2022-12": 0.59, "2023-03": 0.71, "2023-06": 0.53, "2023-09": 0.64, "2023-12": 0.33, "2024-03": 0.64, "2024-06": 0.41, "2024-09": 1.03, "2024-12": 0.12, "2025-03": 0.84, "2025-06": 0.52, "2025-09": 0.47, "2025-12": -0.02, "2026-03": 0.45,
EPS CAGR: -17.08%
EPS Trend: -71.8%
Last SUE: 0.16
Qual. Beats: 0
Revenue Revenue of SCL over the last years for every Quarter: 2021-06: 595.511, 2021-09: 602.688, 2021-12: 610.027, 2022-03: 675.276, 2022-06: 751.633, 2022-09: 719.185, 2022-12: 627.176, 2023-03: 651.436, 2023-06: 579.975, 2023-09: 562.226, 2023-12: 532.131, 2024-03: 551.418, 2024-06: 556.405, 2024-09: 546.842, 2024-12: 525.609, 2025-03: 593.255, 2025-06: 594.689, 2025-09: 590.284, 2025-12: 553.886, 2026-03: 604.509,
Rev. CAGR: -1.87%
Rev. Trend: -34.9%
Last SUE: -0.34
Qual. Beats: 0

Warnings

High Debt While Negative Cash Flow
Interest Coverage Ratio Critical

Tailwinds

No distinct edge detected

Seasonality 10.5 years of data

Jan -2.8% 25
Feb -2.5% 18
Mar +0.0% 0
Apr +0.2% 10
May +2.9% 45
Jun +1.3% 2
Jul +0.7% 19
Aug -1.4% 33
Sep -4.5% 42
Oct -0.5% 5
Nov +4.1% 13
Dec +1.1% 9

How good or bad each month usually is (without trend). The score below shows how much you can trust it: 0 = pure chance, >40 gets interesting and >55 is strong.

Description: SCL Stepan

Stepan Company (NYSE: SCL) is a U.S.-based specialty chemicals manufacturer founded in 1932 and headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. The company produces and sells specialty and intermediate chemicals on a business-to-business basis to other manufacturers, supplying customers in the United States, France, Poland, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Mexico, and other international markets.

The company operates through three reportable segments. The Surfactants segment supplies cleaning and disinfection ingredients used in household detergents, personal care products, agricultural emulsifiers, and industrial applications. The Polymers segment produces polyurethane polyols for rigid foam insulation used in construction, along with polyester resins, specialty polyols, and phthalic anhydride for coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers (CASE), and plasticizers. The Specialty Products segment provides flavors, emulsifiers, and solubilizers used in food, nutritional supplements, and pharmaceutical applications.

Stepan is classified within the GICS Materials sector under the Specialty Chemicals sub-industry and is considered a small-cap company with a market capitalization of approximately $1.2 billion USD. As a B2B specialty chemicals producer, its revenue is closely tied to downstream demand from consumer goods, construction, and food/pharmaceutical manufacturers rather than direct end-consumer sales.

Headlines to Watch Out For
  • Surfactant margins pressured by fatty acid and ethylene cost volatility
  • Polymer polyol demand tracks construction insulation and CASE end markets
  • Specialty flavor and emulsion revenue grows with food and pharmaceutical customers
Piotroski VR-10 (Strict) 3.0
Net Income: -14.2m TTM > 0 and > 6% of Revenue
FCF/TA: -0.01 > 0.02 and ΔFCF/TA -4.53 > 1.0
NWC/Revenue: 7.93% < 20% (prev 7.10%; Δ 0.83% < -1%)
CFO/TA 0.07 > 3% & CFO 157.9m > Net Income -14.2m
Net Debt (619.4m) to EBITDA (139.9m): 4.43 < 3
Current Ratio: 1.26 > 1.5 & < 3
Outstanding Shares: last quarter (22.9m) vs 12m ago -0.01% < -2%
Gross Margin: 11.06% > 18% (prev 12.48%; Δ -1.42% > 0.5%)
Asset Turnover: 99.23% > 50% (prev 92.99%; Δ 6.24% > 0%)
Interest Coverage Ratio: 0.44 > 6 (EBIT TTM 10.2m / Interest Expense TTM 23.0m)
Altman Z'' 3.38
A: 0.08 (Total Current Assets 906.2m - Total Current Liabilities 720.5m) / Total Assets 2.33b
B: 0.53 (Retained Earnings 1.24b / Total Assets 2.33b)
C: 0.00 (EBIT TTM 10.2m / Avg Total Assets 2.36b)
D: 1.05 (Book Value of Equity 1.19b / Total Liabilities 1.14b)
Altman-Z'' = 3.38 = A
Beneish M -2.91
DSRI: 0.94 (Receivables 433.7m/436.5m, Revenue 2.34b/2.22b)
GMI: 1.13 (GM 12.48% / 11.06%)
AQI: 1.02 (AQ_t 0.09 / AQ_t-1 0.09)
SGI: 1.05 (Revenue 2.34b / 2.22b)
TATA: -0.07 (NI -14.2m - CFO 157.9m) / TA 2.33b)
Beneish M = -2.91 (Cap -4..+1) = A
What is the price of SCL shares?

As of July 09, 2026, the stock is trading at USD 55.29 with a total of 179,650 shares traded. Over the past week, the price has changed by -0.77%, over one month by +7.51%, over three months by +8.06% and over the past year by -3.58%.

Current recommended Stop Loss: 51.40 (which is 7% or 2.4 ATR below the current price).

Is SCL a buy, sell or hold?

Stepan has received a consensus analysts rating of 3.50. Therefore, it is recommended to hold SCL.

  • StrongBuy: 0
  • Buy: 1
  • Hold: 1
  • Sell: 0
  • StrongSell: 0

What are the forecasts/targets for the SCL price?
Analysts Target Price 75 35.6%
Stepan (SCL) - Fundamental Data Overview as of 07 July 2026
Market Cap USD = 1.29b (1.29b USD * 1.0 USD.USD)
P/E Forward = 21.9298
P/S = 0.5501
P/B = 1.0804
P/EG = 1.747
Revenue TTM = 2.34b USD
EBIT TTM = 10.2m USD
EBITDA TTM = 139.9m USD
Long Term Debt = 328.4m USD (from longTermDebt, last quarter)
Short Term Debt = 337.6m USD (from shortTermDebt, last quarter)
Debt = 760.2m USD (from shortLongTermDebtTotal, last quarter) + Leases 47.1m
Net Debt = 619.4m USD (calculated: Debt 760.2m - CCE 140.8m)
Enterprise Value = 1.91b USD (1.29b + Debt 760.2m - CCE 140.8m)
Interest Coverage Ratio = 0.44 (Ebit TTM 10.2m / Interest Expense TTM 23.0m)
EV/FCF = -99.11x (Enterprise Value 1.91b / FCF TTM -19.3m)
FCF Yield = -1.01% (FCF TTM -19.3m / Enterprise Value 1.91b)
FCF Margin = -0.82% (FCF TTM -19.3m / Revenue TTM 2.34b)
Net Margin = -0.61% (Net Income TTM -14.2m / Revenue TTM 2.34b)
Gross Margin = 11.06% ((Revenue TTM 2.34b - Cost of Revenue TTM 2.08b) / Revenue TTM)
Gross Margin QoQ = 10.73% (prev 9.30%)
Tobins Q-Ratio = 0.82 (Enterprise Value 1.91b / Total Assets 2.33b)
Interest Expense / Debt = 3.03% (Interest Expense 23.0m / Debt 760.2m)
Taxrate = 21.72% (13.0m / 59.9m)
NOPAT = 7.95m (EBIT 10.2m * (1 - 21.72%))
Current Ratio = 1.26 (Total Current Assets 906.2m / Total Current Liabilities 720.5m)
Debt / Equity = 0.64 (Debt 760.2m / totalStockholderEquity, last quarter 1.19b)
Debt / EBITDA = 4.43 (Net Debt 619.4m / EBITDA 139.9m)
 Debt / FCF = -32.17 (negative FCF - burning cash) (Net Debt 619.4m / FCF TTM -19.3m)
 Total Stockholder Equity = 1.23b (last 4 quarters mean from totalStockholderEquity)
RoA = -0.60% (Net Income -14.2m / Total Assets 2.33b)
RoE = -1.15% (Net Income TTM -14.2m / Total Stockholder Equity 1.23b)
RoCE = 0.65% (EBIT 10.2m / Capital Employed (Equity 1.23b + L.T.Debt 328.4m))
RoIC = 0.43% (NOPAT 7.95m / Invested Capital 1.83b)
WACC = 6.62% (E(1.29b)/V(2.05b) * Re(9.13%) + D(760.2m)/V(2.05b) * Rd(3.03%) * (1-Tc(0.22)))
Discount Rate = 9.13% (= CAPM, Blume Beta Adj.)
Shares (quarterly) Correlation: -35.96 | Cagr: 0.18%
 [DCF] Fair Price = unknown (Cash Flow -19.3m)
 EPS Correlation: -71.82 | EPS CAGR: -17.08% | SUE: 0.16 | # QB: 0
Revenue Correlation: -34.93 | Revenue CAGR: -1.87% | SUE: -0.34 | # QB: 0
EPS current Quarter (2026-06-30): EPS=0.61 | Chg30d=-11.59% | Revisions=-25% | Analysts=2
EPS next Quarter (2026-09-30): EPS=0.93 | Chg30d=-11.00% | Revisions=-25% | Analysts=2
EPS current Year (2026-12-31): EPS=2.54 | Chg30d=-10.27% | Revisions=-25% | GrowthEPS=+39.3% | GrowthRev=+7.7%
EPS next Year (2027-12-31): EPS=3.92 | Chg30d=-6.12% | Revisions=+0% | GrowthEPS=+54.4% | GrowthRev=+6.1%
[Analyst] Revisions Ratio: -38% (up=1, down=4)