Stepan's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Stepan (SCL) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Stepan vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 2,434M vs 126,080M combined for tracked competitors (1.9% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+12.4% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs accelerating (+8.0%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Stepan generated 15.2% revenue growth year over year in Q2 2026, vs -3.5% for its tracked competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its 3.4% net margin compares with 23.7% for the peer group.
- Scale: Stepan ranks #13 of 28 companies by market capitalization in the Personal & Household Products industry, holding 0.2% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: Stepan accounted for 2.0% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, up from 1.7% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $1.05M compares with $0.45M for the peer group (2.3x).
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
SCL Sales vs. its Competitors, Q2 2026
Stepan reported revenue growth of 15.19 % year on year in Q2 2026, above its competitors' combined revenue change of -3.45 %.
With a net margin of 3.35 %, Stepan reported lower profitability than its competitors (23.67 %).
Stepan generated 1.97 % of the combined sales of its peer group, up from 1.66 % a year earlier.
Stepan vs. its Competitors, Q2 2026
Revenue growth, year on year
Net income growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in an SEC filing; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Stepan and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Stepan Company | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (6) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (6) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Stepan's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Personal & Household Products industry grew revenue -4.6% year over year, combined, vs 15.2% for Stepan. Stepan's share of combined industry revenue moved from 0.32% to 0.38%, a gain of 0.07 percentage points.
Stepan's Competitor Quality Breadth
Share of each group, trailing 12 months: profitable (net margin > 0), expanding (revenue growth > 0), growing faster than the industry's own median, and financially distressed (Piotroski F-Score of 2 or below).
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stepan Company | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Competitors combined (25) | ||||
| Similar-Size Competitors (10) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 62.50 % (5 of 8) | 87.50 % (7 of 8) | 62.50 % (5 of 8) | 0.00 % (0 of 8) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
SCL Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
SCL Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
SCL Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dupont De Nemours Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Sealed Air Corp | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Valaris Limited | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Enviri Corp | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Unifi Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Stepan's best-performing tracked competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Stepan's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
The Company does not sell directly to the retail market, but sells to a wide range of manufacturers in many industries and has many competitors. The principal methods of competition are product performance, price, technical assistance and adaptability to the specific needs of individual customers. These factors allow the Company to compete on a basis other than price alone, reducing the severity of competition as experienced in the sales of commodity chemicals having identical performance characteristics. The Company is one of the leading merchant producers of surfactants in the world. In the case of surfactants, much of the Company’s competition comes from several large global and regional producers and the internal divisions of larger customers. In the manufacture of polymers, the Company competes with the chemical divisions of several large companies, as well as with other small specialty chemical manufacturers. In specialty products, the Company competes with several large firms plus numerous small companies.
Publicly Traded Peers of Stepan Company
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
| Stepan Company | 1,476.76 | 2,433.50 |
| 3m Company | 88,541.58 | 25,180.00 |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 78,808.33 | 16,469.00 |
| Honeywell International Inc | 67,431.69 | 36,130.00 |
| Copart Inc | 25,662.20 | 4,638.87 |
| Ppg Industries Inc | 23,741.52 | 16,121.00 |
| SUBTOTAL | 396,135.96 | 206,980.26 |
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Sources: Stepan Company's official press releases and regulatory filings; CSIMarket.com's market research; and the financial filings and press releases of the other companies cited.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Stepan Company versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Stepan's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stepan Company | 1,477 | 1,045,318 | -1,139 |
| 3m Company | 88,542 | 416,198 | 49,785 |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 78,808 | 383,000 | 74,279 |
| Honeywell International Inc | 67,432 | 357,723 | 81,356 |
| Copart Inc | 25,662 | 481,960 | 160,922 |
| Ppg Industries Inc | 23,742 | 370,598 | 36,759 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 394,659 | 454,576 | 41,456 |
Stepan's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent filing. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| Stepan Company | North America 57.80 % |
| 3m Company | Americas 54.09 % |
| Ppg Industries Inc | North America 35.64 % |
| Dupont De Nemours Inc | United States 44.47 % |
| Rpm International Inc | US 68.55 % |
| Axalta Coating Systems Ltd | EMEA 35.94 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
Stepan's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Stepan Company | Surfactants 75.13 % |
| 3m Company | Safety and Industrial 47.55 % |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | Automotive OEM 20.42 % |
| Ppg Industries Inc | Industrial Coatings 39.69 % |
| Dupont De Nemours Inc | Diversified Industrials 52.94 % |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | Materials Group 69.81 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
Stepan's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 26 companies in Stepan's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.Stepan ranks #13 of 26 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 0.21 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 2,920, indicating a highly concentrated market structure (U.S. antitrust guidance: below 1,500 unconcentrated, 1,500 to 2,500 moderately concentrated, above 2,500 highly concentrated).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Procter and Gamble Co | 353,201 | 49.97 % |
| 2 | Haleon Plc | 85,034 | 12.03 % |
| 3 | Ecolab Inc | 78,895 | 11.16 % |
| 4 | Colgate palmolive Company | 68,626 | 9.71 % |
| 5 | Kenvue Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Est e Lauder Companies Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Church and Dwight Co Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | The Clorox Company | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | E l f Beauty Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | Yatsen Holding Limited | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 13 | Stepan Company | 1,477 | 0.21 % |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of Stepan's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-09-28.
Stepan's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | The Clorox Company | 9,946 | -33.44 % |
| 9 | E l f Beauty Inc | 5,931 | -24.03 % |
| 10 | Yatsen Holding Limited | 4,656 | -71.91 % |
| 11 | Interparfums Inc | 3,741 | 16.96 % |
| 12 | Coty Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 13 | Stepan Company | 1,477 | 38.72 % |
| 14 | Edgewell Personal Care Company | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 15 | Oddity Tech Ltd | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 16 | Waldencast Plc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 17 | Solesence Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 18 | Axil Brands Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of Stepan's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-09-28. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
Stepan's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Personal & Household Products industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (41 companies).| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 11.81 % | 48.81 % (avg) | -37.0 pp |
| Operating Margin | 0.82 % | industry median | -6.4 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 5.78 % | 5.40 % (avg) | +0.4 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 4.87 % | 2.23 % (avg) | +2.6 pp |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Stepan's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Personal & Household Products industry average (41 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | - | 29.0x | - |
| EV / EBITDA | 13.3x | 19.3x | -6.0x |
| P/B | 1.0x | 4.2x | -3.2x |
| Return on Equity | -0.22 % | industry aggregate | -24.80 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 0.68 % | 12.14 % (avg) | -11.46 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Stepan's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in SEC filings.| Metric | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 4.63 % | -7.71 % | 0.59 % | 25.47 % | 18.21 % | -16.14 % | -6.25 % | 6.96 % |
| Operating Margin | 7.39 % | 6.85 % | 9.17 % | 7.28 % | 7.48 % | 2.52 % | 3.23 % | 3.37 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 7.68 % | 6.08 % | 7.78 % | 6.67 % | 7.35 % | 2.02 % | 2.50 % | 2.73 % |
| P/E | 16.5x | 22.5x | 22.1x | 20.4x | 17.0x | 49.6x | 31.9x | 23.3x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Stepan's Strategic Group Map
Every company in Stepan's industry and named-competitor list, plotted by trailing 12-month revenue growth and operating margin. Stepan is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC (the Similar Growth & Profitability group above) are labeled.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Stepan's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
Relative market share (vs Stepan's largest competitor by market cap) against industry revenue growth, using the standard textbook thresholds (1.0x share, 10% growth) — a common framework, not a precision instrument.
Stepan falls in the Dog quadrant: relative market share of 0.00x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue 1.8% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution. A caveat worth reading alongside this chart: Procter and Gamble Co alone holds 50% of this industry's market cap. In an industry this dominated by one leader, the framework will place nearly every OTHER company in "Dog" or "Question Mark" purely because relative share is measured against that leader, regardless of how strong those other companies actually are on their own fundamentals. Check the Profitability, Valuation and Financial Strength sections above before treating this quadrant label as a verdict.
Stepan's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | Low | Industry HHI of 2,920 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Barriers to Entry | High (capital intensive) | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 4.87 % vs industry average 2.23 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
| Supplier Power | Not covered on this page | See Stepan's dedicated suppliers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Buyer Power | Not covered on this page | See Stepan's dedicated customers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Threat of Substitutes | - | No systematic data source for cross-product substitution exists in this system; not estimated |
Note: this is a partial, data-grounded application of the framework, not a complete strategic assessment. Rivalry and barriers-to-entry readings are mechanical translations of the HHI and capital-intensity figures shown elsewhere on this page, not independent judgments.
Stepan's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
A CSIMarket composite, not a standard field: each axis is an equal-weighted average of three factors already shown elsewhere on this page (industry growth, industry profitability and rivalry for attractiveness; relative market share, profitability and growth vs industry for strength). Disclosed as a designed methodology, not a precision measurement.
Stepan falls in the Medium attractiveness / Medium strength cell: Selective.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Stepan's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) — not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+12.4% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
- Outperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
Weaknesses
- Operating margin 6.4 points below the industry median.
- Return on equity 24.8 points below the industry aggregate.
- Low relative market share vs the industry leader (0.00x).
Opportunities
No rule matched.
Threats
- Industry dominated by Procter and Gamble Co, holding 49.97 % of industry market cap.
- High capital intensity requires continuous reinvestment just to keep pace with the industry.
Methodology: mechanical, rule-based SWOT. Each bullet reuses a figure already sourced and cited elsewhere on this page; nothing here is generated narrative or independent analyst judgment.
Stepan's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stepan Company | 0.17 | 1.24 | 0.61 |
| 3m Company | - | 1.57 | 3.20 |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 0.17 | 1.24 | 2.93 |
| Honeywell International Inc | 0.51 | 1.31 | 2.10 |
| Copart Inc | - | 8.09 | - |
| Ppg Industries Inc | 0.34 | 1.52 | 0.91 |
Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Stepan's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stepan Company | Q2 2026 | +15.2 % | +102.0 % |
| 3m Company | Q2 2026 | +2.5 % | +29.4 % |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | Q2 2026 | +6.1 % | +7.9 % |
| Honeywell International Inc | Q2 2026 | -6.1 % | +262.4 % |
| Copart Inc | Q1 2026 | +2.1 % | -1.0 % |
| Ppg Industries Inc | Q1 2026 | +6.7 % | +1.9 % |
| PEERS TOTAL | -2.9 % | +103.3 % |
Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Stepan's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stepan Company | Q2 2026 | +11.9 % | -8.6 % |
| 3m Company | Q2 2026 | +4.7 % | +7.2 % |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | Q2 2026 | -10.5 % | -8.9 % |
| Honeywell International Inc | Q2 2026 | +7.2 % | +39.4 % |
| Copart Inc | Q1 2026 | +3.0 % | - |
| Ppg Industries Inc | Q1 2026 | +6.2 % | -6.2 % |
Stepan's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stepan Company | - | - | - |
| 3m Company | 8.27% | 11.16% | 76.55% |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 19.64% | 26.49% | 101.72% |
| Honeywell International Inc | 10.74% | 17.01% | 49.57% |
| Copart Inc | 15.33% | 16.49% | 16.86% |
| Ppg Industries Inc | 7.23% | 9.42% | 19.96% |
ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Stepan's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Stepan Company | - | 0.61 |
| 3m Company | 30.10 | 3.52 |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 36.57 | 4.79 |
| Honeywell International Inc | 8.32 | 1.87 |
| Copart Inc | 16.91 | 5.53 |
| Ppg Industries Inc | 15.11 | 1.47 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 21.24 | 1.91 |
P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.