Stepan CoSCL +2.75%79 Piotroski F-Score is 6 as of Jun. 24, 2026, which is at its 10-year median of 6.00. GuruFocus rates SCL with a GF Score™ of 79/100 and a GF Value™ of $70.56 (Modestly Undervalued). The stock has 6 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,566 Chemicals companies, Stepan Co ranks better than 76.18% on this metric.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Stepan Co has an F-score of 6 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
The historical rank and industry rank for Stepan Co's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
SCL'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 4 Med: 6 Max: 8
Current: 6
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of Stepan Co was 8. The lowest was 4. And the median was 6.
Stepan Co (NYSE:SCL) Piotroski F-Score Explanation
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
Stepan Co Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
Stepan Co Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Stepan Co's Piotroski F-Score 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.
SCL vs ODC, ECVT, KRO: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Specialty Chemicals subindustry, Stepan Co's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score 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 Piotroski F-Score vs Chemicals Industry
For the Chemicals industry and Basic Materials sector, Stepan Co's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Stepan Co's Piotroski F-Score falls into.
* 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: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
Stepan Co's current Net Income (TTM) was -14.
==> Negative ==> Score 0.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Stepan Co's return on assets of this year was -0.00595142. Stepan Co's return on assets of last year was 0.02367658.
==> Last year is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
Stepan Co's gearing of this year was 0.15738818. Stepan Co's gearing of last year was 0.16388998.
==> This year is lower or equal to last year. ==> Score 1.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Stepan Co's current ratio of this year was 1.25787248. Stepan Co's current ratio of last year was 1.21322551.
==> This year's current ratio is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
Stepan Co's number of shares in issue this year was 22.888. Stepan Co's number of shares in issue last year was 22.89.
==> There is smaller number of shares in issue this year, or the same. ==> Score 1.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
Stepan Co's gross margin of this year was 0.11064246. Stepan Co's gross margin of last year was 0.12483445.
==> Last year's gross margin is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Stepan Co's asset turnover of this year was 0.98061877. Stepan Co's asset turnover of last year was 0.93635624.
==> This year's asset turnover is higher. ==> Score 1.
Evaluation
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Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Stepan Co has an F-score of 6 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
Stepan Co (SCL) has a Piotroski F-Score of 6 as of Jun. 24, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Stepan Co and its competitors. This is near median its historical median of 6.00. Over the past decade, Stepan Co's Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 4.00 to 8.00. According to the industry distribution chart, Stepan Co ranks #373 out of 1566 companies in the Chemicals industry, placing it in the top 23.8%.
Is Stepan Co's Piotroski F-Score too high?
Stepan Co's current Piotroski F-Score of 6 is near median its 10-year median of 6.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 4.00 to a high of 8.00. The Chemicals industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Stepan Co's value of 6 is 20% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Stepan Co ranks #373 out of 1566 companies in the Chemicals industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, Stepan Co has a GF Score™ of 79/100 and is considered Modestly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Stepan Co's Piotroski F-Score compare to ODC and ECVT?
According to the Chemicals industry distribution chart, Stepan Co ranks #373 out of 1566 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This places Stepan Co in the top 24% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Stepan Co's value of 6 is 20% above this benchmark. Historically, Stepan Co's own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 4.00 to 8.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 6.00 vs. the industry median of 5.00, Stepan Co has consistently been above 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 Piotroski F-Score for a Chemicals company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Chemicals companies is 5.00, based on 1,566 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Stepan Co's current Piotroski F-Score of 6 is 20% above 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 Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Stepan Co and its competitors. For the Chemicals industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Stepan Co's current Piotroski F-Score is 6, which is near median its own 10-year median of 6.00. 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 $70.56, compared to a current price of $54.20 — trading 23.2% below its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 6, which is near median its 10-year median of 6.00 and 20% above the Chemicals industry median of 5.00. Stepan Co's overall GF Score™ is 79/100 with 6 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Stepan Co (SCL), the current Piotroski F-Score is 6 as of Jun. 24, 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 $54.20 is trading 23.2% below its estimated GF Value™ of $70.56.
GuruFocus considers Stepan Co to be Modestly Undervalued.
Key valuation signals for SCL:
Piotroski F-Score: 6 (near median its 10-year median of 6.00)
GF Value™: $70.56 vs. price of $54.20 (23.2% below fair value)
Industry Position: 20% above the Chemicals median (#373 of 1566)
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 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.
79GF Score
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