SCL · Stepan Co
$62.74
-0.26 (-0.41%)
At close · Oct 5
Return incl. dividend (before tax)
Market Cap
$1.47B
Shares
22.73M
Volume · Oct 5
143.22K
Avg daily vol (3M)
142.19K
Price & Indicators
20d MA
50d MA
200d MA
Earnings
Filing
Insider
Congress
Investor day
Close$63.00
Open$62.36
Day$62.36–63.23
52W close$42.31–67.23
Avg vol 30d143K
Short int667K · 2.9% float · 4.8d
Short vol70%
Last earningsJul 29, 2026
DataJan 2020–Oct 2026
Filing10-Q · Aug 5
Up next
Next earnings call
Oct 15, 2026
Est · unconfirmed
· in 1 wks
filed Aug 5, 2026
call held Jul 29, 2026
Metrics snapshot
Useful current figures from the complete screener profile.
Revenue (TTM)
$2.43B
Trailing 12 months
Net income (TTM)
−$2.65M
Trailing 12 months
Revenue growth YoY
+15.0%
Year over year
Operating margin
0.8%
Trailing 12 months
P / E (TTM)
—
Trailing earnings
FCF yield
2.5%
TTM · current market cap
Return on invested capital
—
Trailing 12 months
Net cash
−$533.65M
Latest balance sheet
Dividend yield
—
Trailing 12 months
Shares change YoY
+0.2%
Year over year · more shares
Price change (1Y)
+29.1%
Trailing year
Short interest
2.9%
Latest settlement · 4.8 days to cover
AI Brief
Q2 FY26 earnings call · Jul 29, 2026
Q2 FY26
TL;DR. Stepan reported strong Q2 2026 results with adjusted EBITDA of $74.4 million, up 45% year-over-year, driven by broad-based surfactant volume growth (organic +7%), polymer volume growth (+5%), margin recovery, and Project Catalyst savings. Management reaffirmed full-year 2026 guidance for adjusted EBITDA growth, positive free cash flow, and continued deleveraging, while flagging potential customer pre-buying and softness in Europe/Asia polymers as risks.
Bullish
- + Q2 adjusted EBITDA rose 45% to $74.4 million on broad-based volume, margin recovery, and Project Catalyst savings
- + Surfactant segment delivered double-digit EBITDA growth and broad 7% organic volume gain across all regions and end markets
- + Adjusted EPS more than doubled to $1.18 from $0.52 on stronger segment earnings
- + Polymer EBITDA grew 22% on North America double-digit volume growth and spray-foam momentum
- + Project Catalyst delivering ahead-of-plan savings; workforce reduction announced to add to run-rate
Bearish
- − CEO indicated potential customer pre-buying inflated Q2 EBITDA by $5–$10 million, suggesting softer Q3
- − Polymer volumes declined in Europe and Asia, partially offsetting North America strength
- − Management cited ongoing geopolitical and raw-material uncertainty as a continuing risk to demand and margins
From the call
AI-generated from the earnings call and 8-K · may contain errors · not investment advice
Equibles Rating
blended score · not investment adviceOverall
Buy
SellHoldBuy
Technical
Buy
Momentum
Very Strong
Sentiment
Bullish
Fundamentals
Weak
Quant / Vol
Moderate
Market backdrop
VIX 15.3 · calm
Equity put/call 0.59
Technical
price trend
50 / 200-day cross
No cross
Price vs 200-day avg
+14%
above
Price vs 50-day avg
+0%
above
RSI (14)
52
neutral
MACD trend
Negative
52-week position
83%
mid-range
Momentum
relative strength
1-month return
+1%
trailing
6-month return
+20%
trailing
YTD return
+33%
this year
Relative strength
+8%
vs S&P · 6-mo
Sentiment
smart money
Trend (MA cross)
No cross
50d $63 › 200d $55 — 50d above 200d
Institutional flow
Flat
2 of 232 funds reported for Sep 30 · net 0 sh shares
Insider flow
Flat
No net insider activity over 90 days
Short interest
Falling
2.93% of float · ▼ -3.4% MoM · 4.8 days cover
Volume signal
Normal
Volume near normal
Institution breadth
Multi-yr high
232 holders — near 3-yr high, broad support
Squeeze score
60
elevated · 0–100
Fundamentals
Revenue growth
−2%
Y/Y
Gross margin
15%
expanding
EPS growth
−7%
Y/Y
Free cash flow
$25.4M
Balance sheet
$494.0M
net debt
Quant / Vol
risk profile
Volatility
37%
annualized · 1-yr
Max drawdown
−33%
past year
ATR
2.6%
of price · 14-day
Blended from price, momentum, positioning, fundamentals & volatility · daily-close · not investment advice. Market backdrop is context, not part of the score.
Guidance & track record
Latest guidance
· from the Earnings Call filed Jun 30, 2026
full-year 2026
Restructuring charges
Initiated
$75M – $80M
next two years
Pre-tax savings from Project Catalyst
$100M
Guidance from company 8-Ks · delivered figures from as-reported statements · no analyst estimates involved.
Technicals
trend & momentum for long-term holders Buy
50 / 200-day cross
No cross
Neutral
Price vs 200-day avg
+14%
Bullish
Price vs 50-day avg
+0%
Bullish
RSI (14)
52
Neutral
MACD trend
Negative
Bearish
52-week position
83%
Neutral
Market signals — smart money & positioning
Bullish · 2 of 6
Trend (MA cross)
No cross
50d $63 › 200d $55 — 50d above 200d
Institutional flow
Flat
2 of 232 funds reported for Sep 30 · net 0 sh shares
Insider flow
Flat
No net insider activity over 90 days
Short interest
Falling
2.93% of float · ▼ -3.4% MoM · 4.8 days cover
Volume signal
Normal
Volume near normal
Institution breadth
Multi-yr high
232 holders — near 3-yr high, broad support
Price context
position in its 52-week range
Range low $42
Now $63 · 83%
Range high $67
vs 200-day avg +14%
vs 50-day avg +0%
Illustrative technical + ownership context — a signal mix, not investment advice.
Key metrics
the company's own KPIs, from written earnings releases and filings| Metric | Latest | Period | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted diluted earnings per share non-GAAP | $1.18 | the second quarter of 2026 filing | — |
| Adjusted EBITDA non-GAAP | $74.4M | the second quarter of 2026 filing | — |
GAAP → non-GAAP reconciliationGAAP Operating Income (Loss) 37.2M
+30.9M Depreciation and Amortization
+1M Other, Net Income
+0.1M Deferred Compensation
+0.1M Environmental Remediation
+5.1M Business Restructuring
= Adjusted EBITDA 74.4M
|
|||
| Adjusted net income non-GAAP | $27.1M | the second quarter of 2026 filing | — |
GAAP → non-GAAP reconciliationGAAP Net Income Attributable to the Company as Reported 22.9M
+0.1M Deferred Compensation (Income)/Expense (including related investment activity)
+0.1M Environmental Remediation Expense
+5.1M Business Restructuring
-1.1M Cumulative Tax Effect on Above Adjustment Items
= Adjusted Net Income 27.1M
|
|||
| EBITDA non-GAAP | $69.1M | the second quarter of 2026 filing | — |
Figures exactly as the company stated them in writing · click a metric with a to chart its history · period links open the stating document · "filing" marks figures stated in the 10-K/10-Q · YoY needs an exactly comparable prior-year period
Versus peers
Specialty Chemicals — same industry group| Company | Mkt cap | YTD | Rev growth Y/Y | P/E | Short % shares |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
SCL
this stock
Stepan Co
|
$1.47B | +33.0% | -2.1% | — | 2.9% |
|
LIN
Linde PLC
|
$216.61B | +12.5% | +3.0% | 30.3 | 1.3% |
|
AIQUF
L Air Liquide SA /Fi
|
$121.25B | +0.7% | — | — | 0.0% |
|
SHW
Sherwin Williams Co
|
$79.89B | -1.4% | +2.1% | 30.4 | 2.6% |
|
ECL
Ecolab Inc.
|
$77.67B | +4.3% | +2.2% | 37.2 | 1.9% |
Peers by industry group · P/E from as-reported trailing EPS · short % is of shares outstanding
At a glance
key data from every sectionOwnership
Short & Settlement
Financials
Filings
Performance
| 5D | 20D | 120D | MTD | YTD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCL | -2.4% | +1.0% | +20.3% | +1.0% | +33.0% |
| SPY | -0.2% | -0.5% | +12.2% | +0.9% | +12.9% |
| vs SPY | -2.2% | +1.5% | +8.1% | +0.1% | +20.2% |