Stepan falls in an ordinary session; sets third-quarter earnings date

What happened

Stepan (SCL) fell 1.7% on October 7, 2026, closing at $61.32 in an ordinary session as trading stayed near typical levels. The company said it will release third-quarter 2026 earnings on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at approximately 7:00 a.m., according to PRNewsWire. Trading volume that day was 0.9 times its 20-day average and the session opened 0.8% below the previous close, while the S&P 500 fell 0.2%.

How big was the move

The day's change amounted to 0.8 times a typical daily move for this stock, indicating a routine session rather than an outsized market reaction. Over the last five sessions the stock fell 1.7%, matching the single-session decline, while the Basic Materials sector median fell 1.9%, leaving the stock 0.2 percentage points better than the sector median. The stock's market sensitivity shows a beta of 0.99, meaning the stock tends to move about as much as the market.

The technical picture

The stock traded 2.0% below its 20-day moving average and 3.0% below its 50-day moving average, while it remained 10.3% above its 200-day moving average. The 50-day average is above the 200-day average, a sign of an established uptrend, and the stock has been above the 200-day average for 97 consecutive trading days. The Relative Strength Index (14 days) stood at 44, in a neutral range, and the shares were 9.8% below the 52-week high.

Shorter horizons showed mixed momentum: the shares fell 1.4% over one month but rose 8.6% over three months. Over one year the stock rose 26.1%, which is 10.3 percentage points ahead of the S&P 500. Volatility was 34% annualized over 60 days, a level higher than 84% of its own readings over five years.

Fundamentals and valuation

For the four quarters through June 30, 2026, revenue was $2.43 billion, which grew 7.6% from a year earlier and followed revenue growth of 5.5% one quarter earlier. Diluted earnings per share for that period were $-0.12, with earnings per share growth from a year earlier down 104.7%. Gross margin was 11.8%, versus 12.4% a year earlier, and operating margin was 3.3%, compared with 3.4% a year earlier. Free-cash-flow margin stood at 1.4% and return on invested capital was 4.1%.

The balance sheet showed net debt of 3.7 times EBITDA. On valuation the stock traded at 22.8 times expected earnings on a price to forward earnings basis, with a free-cash-flow yield of 2.4%. Market value stood at $1.43 billion.

Earnings and analyst expectations

Stepan's next scheduled report is listed as November 4, 2026. The company last reported on July 29, 2026, posting earnings per share of $1.18 against $0.61 expected, 93.4% above estimates. That marked two consecutive quarters beating estimates and an average surprise over the last four reports of 9.5% above estimates. Typical market reaction to recent reports showed the stock fell 1.7% over the two trading days after report releases.

Analysts covering the stock set a consensus price target of $85.00, which is 38.6% above the closing price, and all three analysts with ratings give the stock a Buy consensus. PromtFinance rankings place Momentum at 86 and Revisions at 91, while Value is 51 and Growth is 15.

What to watch

• November 4, 2026: next scheduled earnings report.
• October 28, 2026: company will release third-quarter 2026 results at approximately 7:00 a.m., reported by PRNewsWire.
• Market leverage and liquidity metrics: net debt of 3.7 times EBITDA.
• Valuation context: 22.8 times expected earnings and a consensus price target of $85.00.
• Momentum and revisions scores: Momentum 86 and Revisions 91 in the PromtFinance rankings.