SCL

Stepan Company (SCL) Economic Moat Analysis (2026)

Invetso Score: 4.8/10 — Balanced · Last Updated: 2026-08-01

Overall Score

Profitability Returns

Margins remain thin, with TTM gross margin at 11.8% and operating margin at 3.3%.

Returns are weak overall, with ROIC at 4.1% and ROE still slightly negative at -0.2%.

Interest coverage is adequate at 4.0x, but pretax and net margins are essentially breakeven to slightly negative.

Scale Market Position

Revenue per share is $106.27 and enterprise value to sales is 0.85x, suggesting a modestly valued operating base.

Asset turnover of 1.02x indicates reasonable utilization, but there is no clear evidence of strong pricing power from the current margin profile.

The business appears established, but the data does not show a durable moat through superior growth or exceptional profitability.

Balance Sheet Capital Structure

Leverage is meaningful, with net debt to EBITDA at 3.7x and debt to equity at 0.58x.

Liquidity is acceptable but not strong, as the current ratio is 1.15x and the quick ratio is 0.77x.

Cash generation is pressured, with free cash flow still negative and capex exceeding operating cash flow.

Cash Generation Efficiency

Operating cash flow is positive at $7.51 per share, but free cash flow per share remains negative at -$1.48.

Cash conversion is mixed, with a cash conversion cycle of 74.3 days and operating cash flow to sales of 7.1%.

Working capital efficiency is decent, but heavy capital spending continues to weigh on true cash returns.

Sources

  • Company filings (10-K, 10-Q, investor presentations)
  • Financial and market data providers
  • Public news and industry information

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