SCL (Stepan Co) Cash-to-Debt: 0.16 (As of Jun. 2026) — 61% Below Median

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SCL Stepan Co SCL
80 GF Score
Price $62.65
GF Value $70.20
Valuation Modestly Undervalued
! 8 Warning Signs
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What is Stepan Co Cash-to-Debt?

Stepan Co SCL +1.36% 80 Cash-to-Debt is 0.16 as of Jun. 2026, which is 61% below its 10-year median of 0.41. GuruFocus rates SCL with a GF Score™ of 80/100 and a GF Value™ of $70.20 (Modestly Undervalued). The stock has 8 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,590 Chemicals companies, Stepan Co ranks worse than 80.75% on this metric.

Cash to Debt Ratio measures the financial strength of a company. It is calculated as a company's cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities divide by its debt. Stepan Co's cash to debt ratio for the quarter that ended in Jun. 2026 was 0.16.

If Cash to Debt ratio is less than 1, the company cannot pay off its debt using the cash in hand. Here we can see, Stepan Co couldn't pay off its debt using the cash in hand for the quarter that ended in Jun. 2026.

The historical rank and industry rank for Stepan Co's Cash-to-Debt or its related term are showing as below:

SCL' s Cash-to-Debt Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.13   Med: 0.41   Max: 1.4
Current: 0.16

During the past 13 years, Stepan Co's highest Cash to Debt Ratio was 1.40. The lowest was 0.13. And the median was 0.41.

SCL's Cash-to-Debt is ranked worse than
80.75% of 1590 companies
in the Chemicals industry
Industry Median: 0.67 vs SCL: 0.16

Stepan Co  (NYSE:SCL) Cash-to-Debt Explanation

If Cash to Debt ratio is greater than 1, the company can pay off its debt using the cash in hand. If it is smaller than 1, it means the company has more debt than the cash in hands. In this case, it is important to look the the company's Interest Coverage. Ben Graham requires that a company must have an Interest Coverage of at least 5.


Stepan Co Cash-to-Debt Related Terms


Stepan Co Cash-to-Debt Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Stepan Co's Cash-to-Debt can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Note: An indication of "No Debt" does not necessarily mean that the company has no debt obligations; it could be due to missing data in the quarterly or annual report. Use caution when interpreting this information.

Stepan Co Cash-to-Debt Chart

Stepan Co Annual Data
Trend Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Cash-to-Debt
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 0.37 0.27 0.18 0.14 0.19

Stepan Co Quarterly Data
Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26 Jun26
Cash-to-Debt Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 0.12 0.16 0.19 0.20 0.16

SCL vs ODC, ECVT, KRO: Cash-to-Debt Comparison

For the Specialty Chemicals subindustry, Stepan Co's Cash-to-Debt, along with its competitors' market caps and Cash-to-Debt data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


Stepan Co Cash-to-Debt vs Chemicals Industry

For the Chemicals industry and Basic Materials sector, Stepan Co's Cash-to-Debt distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Stepan Co's Cash-to-Debt falls into.


SCL
80GF Score
Stepan Co SCL
Cash-to-Debt is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
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Stepan Co Cash-to-Debt Calculation

This is the ratio of a company's Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities to its debt. The debt includes the Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation and Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation. This ratio measures the financial strength of a company. This ratio is updated quarterly.

Stepan Co's Cash to Debt Ratio for the fiscal year that ended in Dec. 2025 is calculated as:

Stepan Co's Cash to Debt Ratio for the quarter that ended in Jun. 2026 is calculated as:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Frequently Asked Questions Learn more about Cash-to-Debt →
What does a Cash-to-Debt of 0.16 mean?
Stepan Co (SCL) has a Cash-to-Debt of 0.16 as of Jun. 2026. This is 61% below median its historical median of 0.41. Over the past decade, Stepan Co's Cash-to-Debt has ranged from 0.13 to 1.40. According to the industry distribution chart, Stepan Co ranks #1284 out of 1590 companies in the Chemicals industry, placing it in the top 80.8%.
Is Stepan Co's Cash-to-Debt too high?
Stepan Co's current Cash-to-Debt of 0.16 is 61% below median its 10-year median of 0.41. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.13 to a high of 1.40. The Chemicals industry median Cash-to-Debt is 0.67. Stepan Co's value of 0.16 is 76.1% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Stepan Co ranks #1284 out of 1590 companies in the Chemicals industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Stepan Co has a GF Score™ of 80/100 and is considered Modestly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Stepan Co's Cash-to-Debt compare to ODC and ECVT?
According to the Chemicals industry distribution chart, Stepan Co ranks #1284 out of 1590 companies for Cash-to-Debt. This places Stepan Co in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Cash-to-Debt is 0.67. Stepan Co's value of 0.16 is 76.1% below this benchmark. Historically, Stepan Co's own Cash-to-Debt has ranged from 0.13 to 1.40 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 0.41 vs. the industry median of 0.67, Stepan Co has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Cash-to-Debt for a Chemicals company?
The median Cash-to-Debt among Chemicals companies is 0.67, based on 1,590 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Cash-to-Debt significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Cash-to-Debt should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Stepan Co's current Cash-to-Debt of 0.16 is 76.1% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Cash-to-Debt mean?
A high Cash-to-Debt can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. For the Chemicals industry, the median Cash-to-Debt is 0.67 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Stepan Co's current Cash-to-Debt is 0.16, which is 61% below median its own 10-year median of 0.41. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Stepan Co stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Stepan Co (SCL) is currently considered Modestly Undervalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $70.20, compared to a current price of $62.65 — trading 10.8% below its estimated fair value. The current Cash-to-Debt is 0.16, which is 61% below median its 10-year median of 0.41 and 76.1% below the Chemicals industry median of 0.67. Stepan Co's overall GF Score™ is 80/100 with 8 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Cash-to-Debt calculated?
Cash-to-Debt is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Stepan Co (SCL), the current Cash-to-Debt is 0.16 as of Jun. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.

Is Stepan Co (SCL) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Stepan Co stock appears to be undervalued. The current stock price of $62.65 is trading 10.8% below its estimated GF Value™ of $70.20. GuruFocus considers Stepan Co to be Modestly Undervalued.

Key valuation signals for SCL:

  • Cash-to-Debt: 0.16 (61% below median its 10-year median of 0.41)
  • GF Value™: $70.20 vs. price of $62.65 (10.8% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 80/100 with 8 warning signs
  • Industry Position: 76.1% below the Chemicals median (#1284 of 1590)

No single metric tells the full story. See the SCL stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Stepan Co Business Description

Address 1101 Skokie Boulevard, Suite 500, Northbrook, IL, USA, 60062
Stepan Co manufactures and sells a variety of chemicals and chemical-based products. The company organizes itself into three segments based on product type. The surfactants segment, which generates the majority of revenue, sells cleaning agents used in detergents, shampoos, body wash, fabric softeners, toothpastes, and other personal-care products. The polymers segment sells polyurethane used to manufacture rigid foam for thermal insulation, as well as phthalic anhydride used to make plastic components for the construction, automotive, and boating industries. The specialty products segment sells chemicals used in food and flavoring. The majority of Stepan's revenue comes from the United States, followed by France, Poland, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Mexico, and other countries.
80GF Score

Get the complete analysis for SCL

Cash-to-Debt is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

$62.65
Price
$70.20
GF Value