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Side-by-side financial comparison of KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. (KLC) and STEPAN CO (SCL). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($676.8M vs $604.5M, roughly 1.1× STEPAN CO). STEPAN CO runs the higher net margin — 3.3% vs 0.7%, a 2.6% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, STEPAN CO posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (1.9% vs 0.8%).
KinderCare Learning Centers, LLC is an American operator of for-profit child care and early childhood education facilities founded in 1969 and currently owned by KinderCare Education based in Portland, Oregon. The company provides educational programs for children from six weeks to 12 years old. KinderCare is the third-largest privately held company headquartered in Oregon. In 39 states and the District of Columbia, some 200,000 children are enrolled in more than 1,250 early childhood educati...
Stepan Company is an American manufacturer of specialty chemicals headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. The company was founded in 1932 by Alfred C. Stepan, Jr., and has approximately 2,000 employees. It is currently run by his grandson, F. Quinn Stepan, Jr. The company describes itself as the largest global merchant manufacturer of anionic surfactants, which are used to enhance the foaming and cleaning capabilities of detergents, shampoos, toothpastes, and cosmetics.
KLC vs SCL — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q3 FY2025 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $676.8M | $604.5M |
| Net Profit | $4.5M | $19.7M |
| Gross Margin | — | 10.7% |
| Operating Margin | 3.9% | 4.7% |
| Net Margin | 0.7% | 3.3% |
| Revenue YoY | 0.8% | 1.9% |
| Net Profit YoY | -67.4% | — |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.04 | $0.86 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q1 26 | — | $604.5M | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $553.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $676.8M | $590.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $700.1M | $594.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $668.2M | $593.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $647.0M | $525.6M | ||
| Q3 24 | $671.5M | $546.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $556.4M |
| Q1 26 | — | $19.7M | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $5.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $4.5M | $10.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $38.6M | $11.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $21.2M | $19.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-133.6M | $3.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $14.0M | $23.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $9.5M |
| Q1 26 | — | 10.7% | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 9.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 12.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 12.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 12.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 10.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 13.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 12.5% |
| Q1 26 | — | 4.7% | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 1.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.9% | 3.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 9.8% | 3.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 7.3% | 4.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | -13.8% | 1.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 8.1% | 4.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 3.4% |
| Q1 26 | — | 3.3% | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 0.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.7% | 1.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.5% | 1.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 3.2% | 3.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | -20.6% | 0.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.1% | 4.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 1.7% |
| Q1 26 | — | $0.86 | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $0.22 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.04 | $0.47 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.33 | $0.50 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.18 | $0.86 | ||
| Q4 24 | $-1.17 | $0.14 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.15 | $1.03 | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $0.42 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $174.7M | — |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $930.9M | $328.4M |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $931.2M | $1.2B |
| Total Assets | $3.9B | $2.3B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 1.00× | 0.28× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $132.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $174.7M | $118.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $119.0M | $88.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $131.3M | $107.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $62.3M | $99.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $137.2M | $147.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $124.7M |
| Q1 26 | — | $328.4M | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $626.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $930.9M | $655.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $926.5M | $658.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $927.4M | $659.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $926.0M | $625.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.5B | $688.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $657.1M |
| Q1 26 | — | $1.2B | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $1.2B | ||
| Q3 25 | $931.2M | $1.2B | ||
| Q2 25 | $924.3M | $1.2B | ||
| Q1 25 | $884.9M | $1.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $864.5M | $1.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $235.6M | $1.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $1.2B |
| Q1 26 | — | $2.3B | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $2.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.9B | $2.4B | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.8B | $2.4B | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.7B | $2.4B | ||
| Q4 24 | $3.6B | $2.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.7B | $2.4B | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $2.3B |
| Q1 26 | — | 0.28× | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 0.50× | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.00× | 0.53× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.00× | 0.53× | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.05× | 0.55× | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.07× | 0.53× | ||
| Q3 24 | 6.42× | 0.56× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 0.55× |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $100.8M | — |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $62.6M | — |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 9.2% | — |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 5.6% | — |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 22.15× | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | — | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $60.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $100.8M | $69.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $35.0M | $11.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $98.4M | $6.9M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $68.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $22.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $29.5M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $25.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $62.6M | $40.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $671.0K | $-14.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $75.1M | $-25.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $32.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $-4.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $-208.0K |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 4.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | 9.2% | 6.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.1% | -2.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 11.2% | -4.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 6.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | -0.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | -0.0% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 6.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 5.6% | 5.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 4.9% | 4.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 3.5% | 5.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 6.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 4.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 5.3% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 11.99× | ||
| Q3 25 | 22.15× | 6.44× | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.91× | 0.99× | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.65× | 0.35× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 20.38× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 0.96× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 3.10× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
KLC
| Early Childhood Education Centers | $627.0M | 93% |
| Before And After School Sites | $49.8M | 7% |
SCL
| Surfactants | $453.7M | 75% |
| Polymers | $130.0M | 22% |
| Specialty Products | $20.8M | 3% |
