Stepan Company is an American manufacturer of specialty chemicals headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. The company was founded in 1932 by Alfred C. Stepan, Jr., and has approximately 2,000 employees. It is currently run by his grandson, F. Quinn Stepan, Jr. The company describes itself as the largest global merchant manufacturer of anionic surfactants, which are used to enhance the foaming and cleaning capabilities of detergents, shampoos, toothpastes, and cosmetics.3 Its shares trade on NYSE under the symbol SCL.1Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0
Stepan Company is an American manufacturer of specialty chemicals headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. The company was founded in 1932 by Alfred C. Stepan, Jr., and has approximately 2,000 employees. It is currently run by his grandson, F. Quinn Stepan, Jr. The company describes itself as the largest global merchant manufacturer of anionic surfactants, which are used to enhance the foaming and cleaning capabilities of detergents, shampoos, toothpastes, and cosmetics.3
Financials
From the company’s reports to the SEC. Every number links to the filing it came from.
Where each dollar of operating cash went, fiscal 2025
Capital spendingDividends paid
Capital spending78¢$122.5M
Dividends paid22¢$35.0M
Out of $147.9M of cash from operations. Spending exceeded cash from operations; the rest came from savings or borrowing.9
Financial statements
Revenue101112139$2.3B in 2025+25% since 2019Gross profit101112139$269.9M in 2025−21% since 2019Operating income101112139$78.5M in 2025−38% since 2019Net income101112139$46.9M in 2025−55% since 2019
Revenue1415$684.1M in Q2 FY2026+13% since Q1 FY2026Gross profit1415$100.0M in Q2 FY2026+54% since Q1 FY2026Operating income1415$37.2M in Q2 FY2026Net income1415$22.9M in Q2 FY2026
Total assets101112139$2.4B in 2025+49% since 2019Shareholders’ equity1610119$1.2B in 2025+39% since 2019Cash16101112139$132.7M in 2025−58% since 2019Long-term debt16101112139$341.0M in 2025+72% since 2019
Total assets1415$2.4B in Q2 FY2026+1% since Q1 FY2025Shareholders’ equity1415$1.2B in Q2 FY2026−3% since Q1 FY2025Cash1415$113.7M in Q2 FY2026−14% since Q1 FY2025Long-term debt1415$244.1M in Q2 FY2026−28% since Q1 FY2025
Cash from operations101112139$147.9M in 2025−32% since 2019Capital spending101112139$122.5M in 2025+16% since 2019Free cash flow101112139$25.4M in 2025−78% since 2019Dividends paid101112139$35.0M in 2025+52% since 2019Share buybacks10111213$24.9M in 2022+89% since 2019
Cash flow is reported year to date, not quarter by quarter, so there are no separate quarterly figures.
Stepan Company sits at the top of its group. 23 entities, 15 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.
Major holders of Stepan Company
DIMENSIONAL FUND ADVISORS LPFiled SCHEDULE 13G on Stepan Company, latest Oct 8, 2026 (3 filings since Feb 9, 2024)
Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21 of annual reports filed with the SEC; major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.
What it owns
What Stepan Company reports owning in its annual reports to the SEC: buildings, land and equipment, real estate and locations, investments, intangible assets and inventory, at the end of its latest fiscal year and a year before.
The following are the Company’s principal physical properties. Unless otherwise noted, the listed properties are owned by the Company. Management believes that the Company’s facilities are suitable and adequate for the Company’s current operations.
In its earliest days, Stepan Company was just Alfred C. Stepan Jr., who began distributing chemical products to control road dust on country roads in Illinois. His first location was a rented desk at Chicago’s North Pier Terminal.
Stepan produces a wide array of industrial chemicals used as raw materials to make end products in the following industries: agriculture, antimicrobial, beverages, construction, dietary supplements, emulsion polymerization, flavors, food, household, institutional, and industrial cleaning, industrial products, laundry and cleaning, nutrition, nutritional powders, oilfield, personal care, pharmaceutical, phthalic anhydride, and polyester polyols (for coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers, powder coating resins, and rigid foam).
Oct 28, 2026 · Before the openReports results for the quarter ending Sep/2026 A year earlier it reported $0.48 a share, on Oct 29, 2025.89
When it reported results
Jul 29, 2026Reported quarterly or annual results78
Apr 28, 2026Reported quarterly or annual results80
Feb 23, 2026Reported quarterly or annual results81
Jul 30, 2025Reported quarterly or annual results86
Feb 19, 2025Reported quarterly or annual results90
Oct 30, 2024Reported quarterly or annual results91
Jul 31, 2024Reported quarterly or annual results92
Apr 30, 2024Reported quarterly or annual results93
Upcoming dates from Nasdaq's calendar; past results from the company's 8-K filings (Item 2.02). The full markets calendar
Filings
405 filings to the SEC since October 2021: 5 annual reports, 15 quarterly reports, 47 major events, 267 insider forms, 17 large holders, 54 other. The latest 20:
37 open-market trades by officers, directors and large owners since October 2021: 3 buys and 34 sales. Grants, option exercises and gifts are left out.
BlackRockSCHEDULE 13G/A, 5 filings Jan 25, 2022 to Apr 29, 202598
Executive pay
What the company paid its top executives, from the summary compensation table in its proxy statement. Total pay includes salary, bonus, stock and option awards and other pay, as the company valued them.
The largest holders among investment managers' 13F reports for the quarter ending Jun 30, 2026, the top 25 of 100. Change is in shares since the quarter before.
From the cover page of the 10-K filed Feb 26, 2026 (Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act).19
Risk factors and legal proceedings
The risks Stepan Company names in Item 1A of its 10-K filed Feb 26, 2026: 21 risks under these headings, as written.19
Business and Operations Risks
Chemical manufacturing is inherently hazardous and may result in accidents or may require planned or unplanned production slowdowns or shutdowns, which may disrupt our operations or expose us to significant losses or liabilities that may have a material impact on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
The volatility of raw material, natural gas and electricity costs, as well as any disruption in their supply, may result in increased costs and materially and adversely affect the Company’s business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
The Company relies heavily on third-party transportation to deliver raw materials to Company manufacturing facilities and ship products to Company customers. Disruptions in transportation or significant changes in transportation costs have affected and could continue to affect the Company’s business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
Conflicts, military actions, terrorist attacks and general instability, particularly in certain energy-producing nations, along with increased security regulations related to our industry, could adversely affect the Company’s business.
Cost overruns, delays and miscalculations in capacity needs with respect to the Company’s expansion or other capital projects could adversely affect the Company’s business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
We may not realize the anticipated cost savings and/or operating efficiencies associated with strategic initiatives.
Market, Competition and Strategic Risks
Customer product reformulations or new technologies can reduce the demand for the Company’s existing products, and the Company may not be successful in developing or introducing new products.
To the extent the Company seeks acquisition opportunities, it may not be able to make acquisitions of suitable candidates or integrate acquisitions successfully.
The Company faces significant global competition in each of its operating segments. If the Company cannot successfully compete in the marketplace, its business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows may be materially and adversely affected.
We are affected by general economic conditions and downturns in certain industries, in some cases driven by consumer preferences, and general economic downturns may have an adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
The other 11 risks
If the Company is unable to protect its intellectual property rights, the Company’s ability to compete may be negatively impacted.
Regulatory and Legal Risks
The Company is subject to a variety of environmental, health and safety and product registration laws dealing with the production and sale of chemicals that could require us to incur additional costs or to reformulate or discontinue certain of our products, or expose us to liability or enforcement actions.
Various liability claims could materially and adversely affect the Company’s business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
The Company’s failure to comply with the anti-corruption laws of the United States and various international jurisdictions could negatively impact its reputation and results of operations.
International Operations Risks
The Company’s results of operations may be adversely affected by international business risks, including changes in global trade policy, fluctuations in currency exchange rates, legal restrictions and taxes.
The international scope of the Company’s operations and corporate structure may expose the Company to potentially adverse tax consequences.
Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates could affect Company financial results.
Financial Risks
The Company could be adversely affected by downgrades to its credit ratings or disruptions in its ability to access well-functioning credit markets.
The Company has a significant amount of indebtedness and may incur additional indebtedness, or need to refinance existing indebtedness, in the future, which may adversely affect the Company’s business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
General Risks
Interruption of, damage to or compromise of the Company’s information technology (IT) systems, failure to maintain the integrity of customer, colleague or Company data or illegal or fraudulent activities committed against the Company could harm the Company’s reputation and have an adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
The Company’s success depends on its executive management and other key personnel.
Legal proceedings
There are a variety of legal proceedings pending or threatened against the Company that occur in the normal course of the Company’s business, the majority of which relate to environmental assessment, protection and remediation matters. Some of these proceedings may result in fines, penalties, judgments or costs being assessed against the Company at some future time. The Company’s operations are subject to extensive local, state and federal regulations, including the U.S. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) and the Superfund amendments of 1986 (Superfund) as well as comparable regulations applicable to the Company’s foreign locations. Over the years, the Company has received requests for information related to or has been named by government authorities as a potentially responsible party at a number of sites where cleanup costs have been or may be incurred by the Company under CERCLA and similar state statutes. In addition, the Company is from time to time involved in routine legal proceedings incidental to the conduct of its business, including personal injury, property damage, tax, trade and labor matters. The Company believes that it has made adequate provisions for the costs it is likely to incur with respect to these claims. The Company’s material legal proceedings are described below:
