SCL vs. NWN

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Stepan Company (SCL) and Northwest Natural Holding Company (NWN).

Performance

SCL vs. NWN - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Stepan Company (SCL) and Northwest Natural Holding Company (NWN). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

SCL vs. NWN - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
SCL Stepan Company	6.36%	-24.60%	-30.29%	-9.74%	-12.91%	5.24%	17.75%	39.96%	-5.21%	-2.06%
NWN Northwest Natural Holding Company	15.07%	23.75%	6.77%	-14.45%	1.49%	10.26%	-35.52%	25.46%	4.48%	2.82%

Fundamentals

EPS SCL : $2.05 NWN : $3.69
PE Ratio SCL : 24.39 NWN : 14.41
PS Ratio SCL : 0.49 NWN : 1.14
Total Revenue (TTM) SCL : $2.33B NWN : $1.27B
Gross Profit (TTM) SCL : $269.89M NWN : $309.31M
EBITDA (TTM) SCL : $173.90M NWN : $454.27M

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SCL achieves a 6.36% return, which is significantly lower than NWN's 15.07% return. Over the past 10 years, SCL has underperformed NWN with an annualized return of 0.46%, while NWN has yielded a comparatively higher 3.71% annualized return.

SCL

• 1D: 0.38%
• 1M: -1.02%
• YTD: 6.36%
• 6M: 6.53%
• 1Y: -6.32%
• 3Y*: -19.61%
• 5Y*: -15.73%
• 10Y*: 0.46%

NWN

• 1D: -0.75%
• 1M: 0.34%
• YTD: 15.07%
• 6M: 20.99%
• 1Y: 30.26%
• 3Y*: 8.83%
• 5Y*: 4.54%
• 10Y*: 3.71%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

SCL vs. NWN — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

SCL

SCL Risk / Return Rank: 34
SCL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 35
SCL Sortino Ratio Rank: 31
SCL Omega Ratio Rank: 31
SCL Calmar Ratio Rank: 35
SCL Martin Ratio Rank: 36

NWN

NWN Risk / Return Rank: 83
NWN Sharpe Ratio Rank: 86
NWN Sortino Ratio Rank: 81
NWN Omega Ratio Rank: 81
NWN Calmar Ratio Rank: 87
NWN Martin Ratio Rank: 81

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

SCL vs. NWN - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Stepan Company (SCL) and Northwest Natural Holding Company (NWN). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	SCL	NWN	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	-0.16	1.59	-1.75
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.06	2.11	-2.05
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.01	1.29	-0.28
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.21	3.10	-3.31
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-0.40	6.27	-6.68
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SCL vs. NWN - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SCL Sharpe Ratio is -0.16, which is lower than the NWN Sharpe Ratio of 1.59. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SCL and NWN, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	SCL	NWN	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	-0.16	1.59	-1.75
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.53	0.20	-0.73
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.01	0.13	-0.12
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.25	0.32	-0.07

Correlation

The correlation between SCL and NWN is 0.27, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

SCL vs. NWN - Dividend Comparison

SCL's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.12%, less than NWN's 3.69% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
SCL Stepan Company	3.12%	3.27%	2.33%	1.55%	1.63%	1.01%	0.95%	1.00%	1.25%	1.06%	0.95%	1.47%
NWN Northwest Natural Holding Company	3.69%	4.20%	4.94%	4.99%	4.06%	3.94%	4.16%	2.58%	3.13%	3.16%	3.13%	3.68%

Drawdowns

SCL vs. NWN - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SCL drawdown since its inception was -66.78%, which is greater than NWN's maximum drawdown of -46.27%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SCL and NWN.

Drawdown Indicators

	SCL	NWN	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-66.78%	-46.27%	-20.51%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-32.78%	-9.85%	-22.93%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-66.78%	-32.09%	-34.69%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-66.78%	-46.27%	-20.51%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-60.10%	-10.59%	-49.51%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-16.76%	-12.13%	-4.63%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	16.99%	4.87%	+12.12%

Volatility

SCL vs. NWN - Volatility Comparison

Stepan Company (SCL) has a higher volatility of 9.04% compared to Northwest Natural Holding Company (NWN) at 4.72%. This indicates that SCL's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than NWN based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	SCL	NWN	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	9.04%	4.72%	+4.32%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	30.53%	12.83%	+17.70%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	39.96%	19.09%	+20.87%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	30.06%	22.54%	+7.52%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	31.58%	28.06%	+3.52%

Financials

SCL vs. NWN - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between Stepan Company and Northwest Natural Holding Company over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

SCL - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Stepan Company reported a gross profit of 51.52M and revenue of 553.89M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 9.3%.

NWN - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Northwest Natural Holding Company reported a gross profit of 0.00 and revenue of 370.88M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 0.0%.

SCL - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Stepan Company reported an operating income of 10.50M and revenue of 553.89M, resulting in an operating margin of 1.9%.

NWN - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Northwest Natural Holding Company reported an operating income of 84.94M and revenue of 370.88M, resulting in an operating margin of 22.9%.

SCL - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Stepan Company reported a net income of 5.00M and revenue of 553.89M, resulting in a net margin of 0.9%.

NWN - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Northwest Natural Holding Company reported a net income of 45.00M and revenue of 370.88M, resulting in a net margin of 12.1%.