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Side-by-side financial comparison of STEPAN CO (SCL) and SLM Corp (SLM). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
STEPAN CO is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($604.5M vs $560.0M, roughly 1.1× SLM Corp). SLM Corp runs the higher net margin — 55.0% vs 3.3%, a 51.7% gap on every dollar of revenue. Over the past eight quarters, SLM Corp's revenue compounded faster (22.7% CAGR vs 4.2%).
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.
Nikon SLM Solutions AG, headquartered in Lübeck, Germany, is a manufacturer of 3D metal printers listed on the stock market and co-owner of the word mark SLM. The shares of SLM Solutions Group AG have been listed in Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since May 9, 2014.
SCL vs SLM — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $604.5M | $560.0M |
| Net Profit | $19.7M | $308.0M |
| Gross Margin | 10.7% | — |
| Operating Margin | 4.7% | 69.6% |
| Net Margin | 3.3% | 55.0% |
| Revenue YoY | 1.9% | — |
| Net Profit YoY | — | 1.0% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.86 | $1.54 |
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 | $560.0M | ||
| Q4 25 | $553.9M | $377.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $590.3M | $373.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $594.7M | $376.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $593.3M | $375.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $525.6M | $362.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | $546.8M | $359.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $556.4M | $372.2M |
| Q1 26 | $19.7M | $308.0M | ||
| Q4 25 | $5.0M | $233.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $10.8M | $135.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $11.3M | $71.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $19.7M | $304.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $3.4M | $111.6M | ||
| Q3 24 | $23.6M | $-45.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $9.5M | $252.0M |
| 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% | 69.6% | ||
| Q4 25 | 1.9% | 83.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.7% | 49.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.0% | 23.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.8% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.5% | 36.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 4.4% | -16.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.4% | 91.0% |
| Q1 26 | 3.3% | 55.0% | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.9% | 61.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.8% | 36.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.9% | 18.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 3.3% | 81.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.6% | 30.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 4.3% | -12.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.7% | 67.7% |
| Q1 26 | $0.86 | $1.54 | ||
| Q4 25 | $0.22 | $1.11 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.47 | $0.63 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.50 | $0.32 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.86 | $1.40 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.14 | $0.53 | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.03 | $-0.23 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.42 | $1.11 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | — | $5.2B |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $328.4M | $6.2B |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $1.2B | $2.4B |
| Total Assets | $2.3B | $29.4B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.28× | 2.53× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $5.2B | ||
| Q4 25 | $132.7M | $4.2B | ||
| Q3 25 | $118.5M | $3.5B | ||
| Q2 25 | $88.9M | $4.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $107.5M | $3.7B | ||
| Q4 24 | $99.7M | $4.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $147.3M | $4.5B | ||
| Q2 24 | $124.7M | $5.3B |
| Q1 26 | $328.4M | $6.2B | ||
| Q4 25 | $626.7M | $5.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | $655.5M | $6.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $658.0M | $6.4B | ||
| Q1 25 | $659.3M | $6.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | $625.4M | $6.4B | ||
| Q3 24 | $688.5M | $6.0B | ||
| Q2 24 | $657.1M | $5.4B |
| Q1 26 | $1.2B | $2.4B | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.2B | $2.5B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.2B | $2.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.2B | $2.4B | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.2B | $2.4B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.2B | $2.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.2B | $2.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.2B | $2.3B |
| Q1 26 | $2.3B | $29.4B | ||
| Q4 25 | $2.4B | $29.7B | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.4B | $29.6B | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.4B | $29.6B | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.4B | $28.9B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.3B | $30.1B | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.4B | $30.0B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.3B | $28.8B |
| Q1 26 | 0.28× | 2.53× | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.50× | 2.19× | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.53× | 2.92× | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.53× | 2.70× | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.55× | 2.56× | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.53× | 2.98× | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.56× | 2.83× | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.55× | 2.37× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
SCL
| Surfactants | $453.7M | 75% |
| Polymers | $130.0M | 22% |
| Specialty Products | $20.8M | 3% |
SLM
| Net Interest Income | $375.0M | 67% |
| Noninterest Income | $185.0M | 33% |
