Exhibit 99.1

Northfield, Illinois, October 21, 2015 -- Stepan Company (NYSE: SCL) today reported:

Stepan Reports Higher Third Quarter Results and

Announces Forty-Eighth Consecutive Year of Dividend Increases

Third Quarter Highlights

YTD Highlights

“Our third quarter operating results benefited from continued earnings improvements in Surfactants and a strong performance in Polymers, partially offset by a decline in Specialty Products,” said F. Quinn Stepan, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer. “Actions taken to improve product mix, improve asset utilization, reduce costs and improve efficiency are contributing to income growth despite the negative impacts of a strong U.S. dollar.”  

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“We are pleased with our year over year improvement and our focus remains on generating long-term sustainable earnings growth.  During the quarter, we made significant progress on a number of key strategic initiatives. Our long-term supply agreement with The Sun Products Corporation, announced on July 9, 2015, has significantly improved our North American sulfonation capacity utilization.  We have successfully integrated our second quarter purchase of a sulfonation plant in Bahia, Brazil.  We have advanced projects to add polyol capacity in China, Poland and the United States.  Our previously announced efficiency improvement program is delivering expected results.”

Financial Summary

Summary of Third Quarter Adjusted Net Income Items

Adjusted net income excludes non-operational deferred compensation income and/or expense as well as certain other significant and infrequent or non-recurring items.

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Percentage Change in Net Sales

The decrease in quarterly net sales was primarily due to lower selling prices related to certain pass-through contract requirements associated with lower raw material costs and the negative impact of foreign currency translation resulting from the stronger U.S. dollar.  These decreases were partially offset by 7% volume growth in the quarter.  Surfactant and Polymer volumes grew by 8% and 4% respectively.  

Segment Results

Total segment operating income increased $13.7 million or 42% versus the prior year quarter.  Total segment operating income is up $39.2 million or 37% year to date.  

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Corporate Expenses

Income Taxes

The effective tax rate was 28% for the first nine months of 2015 compared to 27% for the first nine months of 2014.  The increase was primarily attributable to an unfavorable non-recurring tax charge related to a foreign income tax audit recorded in the second quarter of 2015.

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Selected Balance Sheet Information

The Company’s net debt level on a sequential basis increased $2.9 million for the quarter while the Net Debt ratio increased slightly to 25% from 24% yet remains below 2014 year-end levels.  

The third quarter increases in cash and debt were primarily due to the $100 million 3.95% Senior Notes offering previously announced on July 13, 2015.  The debt proceeds will be used to fund typical capital expenditures, pay off existing higher cost debt according to normal payoff schedules and fund investments that support the Company’s strategic initiatives.

The major working capital components are:

The Company had capital expenditures of $36 million during the quarter and has spent $90 million through the first nine months of 2015.  This compares to $23 million and $62 million, respectively, in the prior year.  

Outlook

“After nine months, we are positioned to deliver earnings growth for the full year,” said F. Quinn Stepan, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer.  

“Surfactant earnings should continue to benefit from new laundry detergent volumes in North and Latin America, continued diversification of our business in Europe as well as contributions from our efficiency program and improved operations overall.  

Given the current and forecasted price of petroleum, Stepan Company and Nalco Company have decided to dissolve their TIORCO enhanced oil recovery joint venture.  Both Stepan and Nalco will continue to participate in enhanced oil recovery, but will do so with groups integrated into their respective organizations.  Stepan Company expects to take a charge during the fourth quarter of between $3 to $4 million on a pre-tax basis to restructure its enhanced oil recovery efforts.  

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We expect Polymer income growth to continue to be driven by higher polyol volumes used in rigid insulation and metal panels.  In the fourth quarter, planned maintenance activity in our North American phthalic anhydride plant will negatively impact earnings.  Construction projects to add polyol capacity in China, Poland and the United States are progressing well.  In China, plant commissioning expenses will begin in the fourth quarter.  2016 volumes will be less than anticipated due to reduced demand associated with the current construction environment in China.

Overall, we believe we have restored earnings momentum in 2015, as we continue to position the Company for further earnings growth in 2016.”  

Dividend Declaration

On October 20, 2015, the Board of Directors of Stepan Company declared a 5.6% increase in the Company’s quarterly cash dividend on its common stock to $0.19 per share.  The dividend is payable on December 15, 2015, to common stockholders of record on November 30, 2015. The increase marks the forty-eighth consecutive year in which the quarterly dividend rate on the Company’s common stock has increased.

Conference Call

Stepan Company will host a conference call to discuss the current quarter results at 10:00 a.m. ET (9:00 a.m. CT) on October 21, 2015. The call can be accessed by phone and webcast. Telephone access will be available by dialing +1 (800) 950-3502, and the webcast can be accessed through the Investor Relations/Conference Calls page at www.stepan.com. A webcast replay of the conference call will be available at the same location shortly after the call.

Corporate Profile

Stepan Company is a major manufacturer of specialty and intermediate chemicals used in a broad range of industries.  Stepan is a leading merchant producer of surfactants, which are the key ingredients in consumer and industrial cleaning compounds.  The Company is also a leading supplier of Polyurethane polyols used in the expanding thermal insulation market, and CASE (Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants, Elastomers) industries.

Headquartered in Northfield, Illinois, Stepan utilizes a network of modern production facilities located in North and South America, Europe and Asia.

The common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol SCL.  For more information about Stepan Company please visit the Company online at www.stepan.com

Contact: Scott D. Beamer                              (847) 446-7500

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Tables follow

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Except for historical information, all other information in this news release consists of forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied.  The most significant of these uncertainties are described in Stepan Company’s Form 10-K, Form 8-K and Form 10-Q reports and exhibits to those reports, and include (but are not limited to), prospects for our foreign operations, foreign currency fluctuations, certain global and regional economic conditions, the probability of future acquisitions and the uncertainties related to the integration of acquired businesses, the probability of new products, the loss of one or more key customer or supplier relationships, the costs and other effects of governmental regulation and legal and administrative proceedings, including the expenditures necessary to address and resolve environmental claims and proceedings, and general economic conditions.  These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and Stepan Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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Table I

STEPAN COMPANY

For the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 and 2014

(Unaudited – 000’s Omitted)

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Table II

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Net Income and Earnings Per Diluted Share

* All amounts in this Table are presented after-tax

The Company believes that certain non-GAAP measures, when presented in conjunction with comparable GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) measures, are useful because that information is an appropriate measure for evaluating the Company’s operating performance.  Internally, the Company uses this non-GAAP information as an indicator of business performance, and evaluates management’s effectiveness with specific reference to these indicators.  These measures should be considered in addition to, neither a substitute for, or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.

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Table III

Deferred Compensation Plan

The full effect of the deferred compensation plan on quarterly pretax income was $6.2 million of income versus $4.3 million of income in the prior year quarter.  The year to date impact was $1.3 million of expense versus $10.8 million of income in the prior year.  The accounting for the deferred compensation plan results in operating income when the price of Stepan Company common stock or mutual funds held in the plan fall and expense when they rise.  The Company also recognizes the change in value of mutual funds as investment income or loss.  The quarter end market prices of Stepan Company common stock are as follows:

The deferred compensation income statement impact is summarized below:

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Table IV

Effects of Foreign Currency Translation

The Company’s foreign subsidiaries transact business and report financial results in their respective local currencies. As a result, foreign subsidiary income statements are translated into U.S. dollars at average foreign exchange rates appropriate for the reporting period. Because foreign exchange rates fluctuate against the U.S. dollar over time, foreign currency translation affects period-to-period comparisons of financial statement items (i.e., because foreign exchange rates fluctuate, similar period-to-period local currency results for a foreign subsidiary may translate into different U.S. dollar results).  Below is a table that presents the impact that foreign currency translation had on the changes in consolidated net sales and various income line items for the three and nine month periods ending September 30, 2015 as compared to 2014:

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Table V

Stepan Company

Consolidated Balance Sheets

September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014

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