View Filing Data

Provision for Income Taxes (Note 17)

37,664

44,330

6,948

12,418

Net Income

30,716

31,912

Net Loss Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests (Note 2)

Net Income Attributable to Stepan Company

^[1]

$ 30,723

$ 31,913

Net Income Per Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company (Note 9):

Basic

$ 1.33

$ 1.39

Diluted

$ 1.31

$ 1.37

Shares Used to Compute Net Income Per Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company (Note 9):

Basic

23,082

22,901

Diluted

23,389

23,331

Dividends Declared Per Common Share

$ 0.23

$ 0.21

[1]	The 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been immaterially changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2018 adoption of Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2017-7, Compensation –Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost.
[2]	The 2017 data has been immaterially changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2018 adoption of ASU No. 2017-7, Compensation-Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income	$ 30,716	$ 31,912
Other comprehensive income :
Foreign currency translation adjustments (Note 10)	8,817	10,454
Defined benefit pension adjustments, net of tax (Note 10)	753	565
Derivative instrument activity, net of tax (Note 10)	(3)	(2)
Total other comprehensive income	9,567	11,017
Comprehensive income	40,283	42,929
Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests (Note 2)	(25)	(12)
Comprehensive income attributable to Stepan Company	$ 40,258	$ 42,917

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 244,581	$ 298,894
Receivables, net	325,276	293,541
Inventories (Note 6)	187,737	172,748
Other current assets	24,416	23,553
Total current assets	782,010	788,736
Property, Plant and Equipment:
Cost	1,642,783	1,603,286
Less: Accumulated depreciation	(1,026,732)	(1,004,843)
Property, plant and equipment, net	616,051	598,443
Goodwill, net	25,113	25,118
Other intangible assets, net	17,731	18,538
Long-term investments (Note 3)	26,725	28,270
Other non-current assets	13,003	11,756
Total assets	1,480,633	1,470,861
Current Liabilities:
Current maturities of long-term debt (Note 13)	22,640	22,500
Accounts payable	202,432	204,977
Accrued liabilities	74,482	92,776
Total current liabilities	299,554	320,253
Deferred income taxes	11,932	10,962
Long-term debt, less current maturities (Notes 13)	268,173	268,299
Other non-current liabilities	125,548	130,433
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 7)
Equity:
Common stock, $1 par value; authorized 60,000,000 shares; issued 26,268,311 shares in 2018 and 26,070,787 shares in 2017	26,268	26,071
Additional paid-in capital	175,211	170,408
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (Note 10)	(90,028)	(99,563)
Retained earnings	747,174	721,741
Less: Common treasury stock, at cost, 3,622,533 shares in 2018 and 3,561,509 shares in 2017	(84,042)	(78,561)
Total Stepan Company stockholders’ equity	774,583	740,096
Noncontrolling interests (Note 2)	843	818
Total equity	775,426	740,914
Total liabilities and equity	$ 1,480,633	$ 1,470,861

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Statement Of Financial Position [Abstract]
Common stock, par value	$ 1	$ 1
Common stock, shares authorized	60,000,000	60,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	26,268,311	26,070,787
Treasury stock, shares	3,622,533	3,561,509

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Cash Flows From Operating Activities
Net income	$ 30,716	$ 31,912
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	19,948	18,707
Deferred compensation	1,614	376
Realized and unrealized gains on long-term investments	(97)	(1,645)
Stock-based compensation	2,232	1,385
Deferred income taxes	357	2,543
Other non-cash items	31	721
Changes in assets and liabilities:
Receivables, net	(24,225)	(20,263)
Inventories	(8,993)	(14,396)
Other current assets	(684)	(1,694)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	(19,518)	(14,184)
Pension liabilities	(116)	(127)
Environmental and legal liabilities	(225)	24
Deferred revenues	(81)	(81)
Net Cash Provided By Operating Activities	959	3,278
Cash Flows From Investing Activities
Expenditures for property, plant and equipment	(27,358)	(20,396)
Business acquisition (Note 16)	(21,475)	(4,339)
Other, net	1,781	(1,887)
Net Cash Used In Investing Activities	(47,052)	(26,622)
Cash Flows From Financing Activities
Revolving debt and bank overdrafts, net	79
Other debt repayments		(441)
Dividends paid	(5,092)	(4,606)
Company stock repurchased	(2,500)	(1,500)
Stock option exercises	3,155	835
Other, net	(4,395)	(1,486)
Net Cash Used In Financing Activities	(8,753)	(7,198)
Effect of Exchange Rate Changes on Cash	533	2,608
Net Decrease in Cash and Cash Equivalents	(54,313)	(27,934)
Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Period	298,894	225,743
Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Period	244,581	197,809
Supplemental Cash Flow Information
Cash payments of income taxes, net of refunds/payments	3,345	5,603
Cash payments of interest	$ 2,071	$ 2,164

Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

1.	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The condensed consolidated financial statements included herein have been prepared by Stepan Company (the Company), without audit, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations, although management believes that the disclosures are adequate and make the information presented not misleading. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring accruals, necessary to present fairly the Company’s financial position as of March 31, 2018, and its results of operations and cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, have been included. These financial statements and related footnotes should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related footnotes included in the Company’s 2017 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Reconciliations of Equity

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Reconciliations of Equity

2.	RECONCILIATIONS OF EQUITY

Below are reconciliations of total equity, Company equity and equity attributable to noncontrolling interests for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands)	Total Equity			Stepan Company Equity			Noncontrolling Interests’ Equity ⁽³⁾
Balance at January 1, 2018	$	740,914		$	740,096		$	818
Net income		30,716			30,723			(7	)
Dividends		(5,092	)		(5,092	)
Common stock purchases ⁽¹⁾		(5,667	)		(5,667	)
Stock option exercises		3,155			3,155
Defined benefit pension adjustments, net of tax		753			753
Translation adjustments		8,817			8,785			32
Derivative instrument activity, net of tax		(3	)		(3	)		—
Other ⁽²⁾		1,833			1,833			—
Balance at March 31, 2018	$	775,426		$	774,583		$	843

(In thousands)	Total Equity			Stepan Company Equity			Noncontrolling Interests’ Equity ⁽³⁾
Balance at January 1, 2017	$	635,916		$	634,604		$	1,312
Net income		31,912			31,913			(1	)
Dividends		(4,606	)		(4,606	)		—
Common stock purchases ⁽¹⁾		(2,991	)		(2,991	)		—
Stock option exercises		835			835			—
Defined benefit pension adjustments, net of tax		565			565			—
Translation adjustments		10,454			10,441			13
Derivative instrument activity, net of tax		(2	)		(2	)		—
Other ⁽²⁾		2,474			2,474			—
Balance at March 31, 2017	$	674,557		$	673,233		$	1,324

⁽¹⁾

Includes the value of Company shares purchased in the open market and from the Company’s retirement plans and the value of Company common shares tendered by employees to settle statutory withholding taxes related to distributions of deferred performance awards and deferred management incentive compensation and to exercises of stock appreciation rights.

⁽²⁾

Primarily comprised of activity related to stock-based compensation and deferred compensation. Beginning in 2018, also includes beginning retained earnings adjustment as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2018 adoption of ASU No. 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory.

⁽³⁾

Reflects the noncontrolling interest in the Company’s China joint venture.

Fair Value Measurements

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Fair Value Measurements

3.	FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

The following were the financial instruments held by the Company at March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, and the methods and assumptions used to estimate the instruments’ fair values:

Cash and cash equivalents

Carrying value approximated fair value because of the short maturity of the instruments.

Derivative assets and liabilities

Derivative assets and liabilities included the foreign currency exchange contracts discussed in Note 4. Fair value and carrying value were the same because the contracts were recorded at fair value. The fair values of the foreign currency contracts were calculated as the difference between the applicable forward foreign exchange rates at the reporting date and the contracted foreign exchange rates multiplied by the contracted notional amounts. See the table that follows the financial instrument descriptions for the reported fair values of derivative assets and liabilities.

Long-term investments

Long-term investments included the mutual fund assets the Company held to fund a portion of its deferred compensation liabilities and all of its non-qualified supplemental executive defined contribution obligations (see the defined contribution plans section of Note 8). Fair value and carrying value were the same because the mutual fund assets were recorded at fair value. Fair values for the mutual funds were calculated using the published market price per unit at the reporting date multiplied by the number of units held at the reporting date. See the table that follows the financial instrument descriptions for the reported fair value of long-term investments.

Debt obligations

The fair value of debt with original maturities greater than one year comprised the combined present values of scheduled principal and interest payments for each of the various loans, individually discounted at rates equivalent to those which could be obtained by the Company for new debt issues with durations equal to the average life to maturity of each loan. The fair values of the remaining Company debt obligations approximated their carrying values due to the short-term nature of the debt. The Company’s fair value measurements for debt fall within level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

At March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, the fair values and related carrying values of debt, including current maturities, were as follows (the fair value and carrying value amounts are presented without regard to unamortized debt issuance costs of $1,113,000 and $987,000 as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively):

(In thousands)

March 31,

2018

December 31,

2017

Fair value

289,316

293,272

Carrying value

291,926

291,786

The following tables present financial assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis at fair value as of March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, and the level within the fair value hierarchy in which the fair value measurements fall:

(In thousands)	March 2018		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Mutual fund assets	$	26,725	$	26,725	$	—	$	—
Derivative assets:
Foreign currency contracts		97		—		97		—
Total assets at fair value	$	26,822	$	26,725	$	97	$	—
Derivative liabilities:
Foreign currency contracts	$	88	$	—	$	88	$	—

(In thousands)	December 2017		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Mutual fund assets	$	28,270	$	28,270	$	—	$	—
Derivative assets:
Foreign currency contracts		335		—		335		—
Total assets at fair value	$	28,605	$	28,270	$	335	$	—
Derivative liabilities :
Foreign currency contracts	$	94	$	—	$	94	$	—

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivative Instruments

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Derivative Instruments

4.	DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS

The Company is exposed to certain risks relating to its ongoing business operations. The primary risk managed by the use of derivative instruments is foreign currency exchange risk. The Company holds forward foreign currency exchange contracts that are not designated as any type of accounting hedge as defined by GAAP. The Company uses these contracts to manage its exposure to exchange rate fluctuations on certain Company subsidiary cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other obligation balances that are denominated in currencies other than the entities’ functional currencies. The forward foreign exchange contracts are recognized on the balance sheet as either an asset or a liability measured at fair value. Gains and losses arising from recording the foreign exchange contracts at fair value are reported in earnings as offsets to the losses and gains reported in earnings arising from the re-measurement of the asset and liability balances into the applicable functional currencies. At March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, the Company had open forward foreign currency exchange contracts, all with durations of one to three months, to buy or sell foreign currencies with U.S. dollar equivalent amounts of $52,718,000 and $41,197,000, respectively.

The fair values of the derivative instruments held by the Company on March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, are disclosed in Note 3. Derivative instrument gains and losses for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, were immaterial. For amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (AOCI) into earnings for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, see Note 10.

Stock-Based Compensation

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]

Stock-Based Compensation

5.	STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

On March 31, 2018, the Company had stock options and stock awards outstanding under its 2006 Incentive Compensation Plan and stock options, stock awards and stock appreciation rights (SARs) outstanding under its 2011 Incentive Compensation Plan. SARs granted prior to 2015 are cash-settled, and SARs granted after 2014 are stock-settled. Stock options and SARs granted prior to 2017 generally cliff vested after two years. Starting in 2017, stock options and SARs have a three-year graded vesting feature, with one-third of the awards vesting each year. The Company has elected the straight-line method of expense attribution for the stock options and SARs with the graded vesting feature.

Compensation expense recorded for all stock options, stock awards and SARs was as follows:

The year-over-year increase in stock-based compensation expense was primarily attributable to cash-settled SARs. SARs compensation expense increased due to an increase in the fair values of cash-settled SARs that resulted from a rise in the market value of Company common stock during the first quarter of 2018. The market value of Company common stock decreased during the first quarter of 2017.

Unrecognized compensation costs for stock options, stock awards and SARs were as follows:

(In thousands)	March 31, 2018		December 31, 2017
Stock options	$	2,424	$	1,179
Stock awards		6,022		3,737
SARs		5,191		2,398

The increases in unrecognized compensation costs for stock options, stock awards and SARs reflected the 2018 grants of:

	Shares
Stock options		76,404
Stock awards (at target)		49,103
SARs		169,267

The unrecognized compensation costs at March 31, 2018, are expected to be recognized over weighted-average periods of 2.4 years, 2.0 years and 2.4 years for stock options, stock awards and SARs, respectively.

Inventories

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]

Inventories

6.	INVENTORIES

The composition of inventories at March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, was as follows:

(In thousands)	March 31, 2018		December 31, 2017
Finished goods	$	128,474	$	117,529
Raw materials		59,263		55,219
Total inventories	$	187,737	$	172,748

Inventories are priced primarily using the last-in, first-out inventory valuation method. If the first-in, first-out inventory valuation method had been used for all inventories, inventory balances would have been approximately $35,145,000 and $33,518,000 higher than reported at March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, respectively.

Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Contingencies

7.	CONTINGENCIES

There are a variety of legal proceedings pending or threatened against the Company. Some of these proceedings may result in fines, penalties, judgments or costs being assessed against the Company at some future time. The Company’s operations are subject to extensive local, state and federal regulations, including the U.S. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) and the Superfund amendments of 1986 (Superfund) as well as similar regulations in other countries where the Company operates. Over the years, the Company has received requests for information related to or has been named by the government as a potentially responsible party (PRP) at a number of waste disposal sites where cleanup costs have been or may be incurred under CERCLA and similar state statutes. In addition, damages are being claimed against the Company in general liability actions for alleged personal injury or property damage in the case of some disposal and plant sites. The Company believes that it has made adequate provisions for the costs it may incur with respect to these sites.

As of March 31, 2018, the Company estimated a range of possible environmental and legal losses of $23.9 million to $45.2 million. At March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, the Company’s accrued liability for such losses, which represented the Company’s best estimate within the estimated range of possible environmental and legal losses, was $23.9 million and $24.2 million, respectively. Cash outlays related to legal and environmental matters approximated $0.2 million and $0.4 million for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

For certain sites, the Company has responded to information requests made by federal, state or local government agencies but has received no response confirming or denying the Company’s stated positions. As such, estimates of the total costs, or range of possible costs, of remediation, if any, or the Company’s share of such costs, if any, cannot be determined with respect to these sites. Consequently, the Company is unable to predict the effect thereof on the Company’s financial position, cash flows and results of operations. Given the information available, management believes the Company has no liability at these sites. However, in the event of one or more adverse determinations with respect to such sites in any annual or interim period, the effect on the Company’s cash flows and results of operations for those periods could be material. Based upon the Company’s present knowledge with respect to its involvement at these sites, the possibility of other viable entities’ responsibilities for cleanup, and the extended period over which any costs would be incurred, the Company believes that these matters, individually and in the aggregate, will not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position. However, in the event of one or more adverse determinations with respect to such sites in any annual or interim period, the effect on the Company’s cash flows and results of operations for those periods could be material.

Following are summaries of the material contingencies at March 31, 2018:

Maywood, New Jersey Site

The Company’s property in Maywood, New Jersey and property formerly owned by the Company adjacent to its current site and other nearby properties (Maywood site) were listed on the National Priorities List in September 1993 pursuant to the provisions of CERCLA because of certain alleged chemical contamination. Pursuant to an Administrative Order on Consent entered into between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the Company for property formerly owned by the Company, and the issuance of an order by USEPA to the Company for property currently owned by the Company, the Company has completed various Remedial Investigation Feasibility Studies (RI/FS), and on September 24, 2014, the USEPA issued its Record of Decision (ROD) for chemically-contaminated soil. The USEPA has not yet issued a ROD for chemically-contaminated groundwater for the Maywood site. Based on the most current information available, the Company believes its recorded liability represents its best estimate of the cost of remediation for the Maywood site. The best estimate of the cost of remediation for the Maywood site could change as the Company continues to hold discussions with the USEPA, as the design of the remedial action progresses, if a groundwater ROD is issued or if other PRPs are identified. The ultimate amount for which the Company is liable could differ from the Company’s current recorded liability.

In April 2015, the Company entered into an Administrative Settlement Agreement and Administrative Order on Consent with the USEPA which requires payment of certain costs and performance of certain investigative and design work for chemically-contaminated soil. Based on the Company’s review and analysis of this order, no changes to the Company’s recorded liability for claims associated with soil remediation of chemical contamination were required.

In addition, under the terms of a settlement agreement reached on November 12, 2004, the U. S. Department of Justice and the Company agreed to fulfill the terms of a Cooperative Agreement reached in 1985 under which the United States will take title to and responsibility for radioactive waste removal at the Maywood site, including past and future remediation costs incurred by the United States. As such, the Company recorded no liability related to this settlement agreement.

D’Imperio Property Site

During the mid-1970’s, Jerome Lightman and the Lightman Drum Company disposed of hazardous substances at several sites in New Jersey. The Company was named as a PRP in a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey that involved the D’Imperio Property Site located in New Jersey. In 2016, the PRPs were provided with updated remediation cost estimates which were considered in the Company’s determination of its range of estimated possible losses and liability balance. The changes in range of possible losses and liability balance were immaterial. Remediation work is continuing at this site. Based on current information, the Company believes that its recorded liability represents its best estimate of the cost of remediation for the D’Imperio site. Depending on the ultimate cost of the remediation at this site, the amount for which the Company is liable could differ from the current estimates.

Wilmington Site

The Company is currently contractually obligated to contribute to the response costs associated with the Company’s formerly-owned site in Wilmington, Massachusetts. Remediation at this site is being managed by its current owner, to whom the Company sold the property in 1980. Under the agreement, once total site remediation costs exceed certain levels, the Company is obligated to contribute up to five percent of future response costs associated with this site with no limitation on the ultimate amount of contributions. The Company has paid the current owner $2.6 million for the Company’s portion of environmental response costs through March 31, 2018. The Company has recorded a liability for its portion of the estimated remediation costs for the site. Depending on the ultimate cost of the remediation at this site, the amount for which the Company is liable could differ from the current estimates.

The Company and other prior owners also entered into an agreement in April 2004 waiving certain statute of limitations defenses for claims which may be filed by the Town of Wilmington, Massachusetts, in connection with this site. While the Company has denied any liability for any such claims, the Company agreed to this waiver while the parties continue to discuss the resolution of any potential claim which may be filed.

Other U.S. Sites

Through the regular environmental monitoring of its plant production sites, the Company discovered levels of chemical contamination that were above thresholds allowed by law at two of its U.S plants. The Company voluntarily reported its results to the applicable state environmental agencies. As a result, the Company is required to perform self-remediation of the affected areas. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the Company recognized a charge for the estimated cost of remediating the sites. Based on current information, the Company believes that its recorded liability for the remediation is adequate. However, actual costs could differ from current estimates.

Postretirement Benefit Plans

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]

Postretirement Benefit Plans

8.	POSTRETIREMENT BENEFIT PLANS

Defined Benefit Pension Plans

The Company sponsors various funded qualified and unfunded non-qualified defined benefit pension plans, the most significant of which cover employees in the U.S. and U.K. locations. The U.S. and U.K. defined benefit pension plans are frozen and service benefits are no longer being accrued.

Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost

	United States						United Kingdom
(In thousands)	Three Months Ended March 31						Three Months Ended March 31
	2018			2017			2018			2017
Interest cost	$	1,539		$	1,661		$	148		$	143
Expected return on plan assets		(2,321	)		(2,321	)		(231	)		(192	)
Amortization of net actuarial loss		937			788			57			92
Net periodic benefit cost (income)	$	155		$	128		$	(26	)	$	43

In the first quarter of 2018, the Company implemented ASU No. 2017-07, Compensation-Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost, which amended the guidance for the presentation of the components of net periodic cost in the income statement. The guidance requires the service cost component of net periodic benefit cost to be included in employee compensation costs in the income statement and all other components elsewhere in the income statement outside of income from operations. The Company does not have a service component of the net periodic benefit cost because the defined benefit plans (both U.S. and U.K. locations) are frozen. The other components of net periodic benefit cost such as interest cost, amortization of net actuarial loss and expected return on plan assets are included in the line item Other, net within Other Income (Expense) section of the Income statement. See Note 14 for more details.

Employer Contributions

U.S. Plans

As a result of pension funding relief provisions included in the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014, the Company is not required to make contributions to the funded U.S. qualified defined benefit plans. Approximately $312,000 is expected to be paid related to the unfunded non-qualified plans in 2018. Of such amount, $143,000 had been paid related to the non-qualified plans as of March 31, 2018.

U.K. Plan

The Company’s U.K. subsidiary expects to contribute approximately $500,000 to its defined benefit pension plan in 2018. Of such amount, $138,000 had been contributed to the plan as of March 31, 2018.

Defined Contribution Plans

The Company sponsors retirement savings defined contribution plans that cover eligible U.S. and U.K. employees. The Company’s U.S. retirement plans include two qualified plans, one of which is a 401(k) plan and one of which is an employee stock ownership plan, and one non-qualified supplemental executive plan. Historically, the Company has made profit sharing contributions into the qualified retirement plans for its U.S. employees. Profit sharing contributions were determined each year using a formula that was applied to Company earnings. The contributions, which were made partly in cash paid to the 401(k) plan and partly in Company common stock, are allocated to participant accounts on the basis of participant base earnings.

Defined contribution plan expenses for the Company’s retirement savings and profit sharing plans were as follows:

(In thousands)	Three Months Ended March 31
	2018		2017
Retirement savings plans	$	1,757	$	1,259
Profit sharing plan		942		1,843
Total defined contribution expense	$	2,699	$	3,102

The Company has a rabbi trust to fund the obligations of its non-qualified supplemental executive defined contribution plans (supplemental plans). The trust comprises various mutual fund investments selected by the participants of the supplemental plans. In accordance with the accounting guidance for rabbi trust arrangements, the assets of the trust and the obligations of the supplemental plans are reported on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. The Company elected the fair value option for the mutual fund investment assets so that offsetting changes in the mutual fund values and defined contribution plan obligations would be recorded in earnings in the same period. Therefore, the mutual funds are reported at fair value with any subsequent changes in fair value recorded in the consolidated statements of income. The liabilities related to the supplemental plans increase (i.e., supplemental plan expense is recognized) when the value of the trust assets appreciates and decrease when the value of the trust assets declines (i.e., supplemental plan income is recognized). At March 31, 2018, the balance of the trust assets was $1,641,000, which equaled the balance of the supplemental plan liabilities (see the long-term investments section in Note 3 for further information regarding the Company’s mutual fund assets).

Earnings Per Share

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Earnings Per Share

9.	EARNINGS PER SHARE

Below are the computations of basic and diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands, except per share amounts)	Three Months Ended March 31
	2018		2017
Computation of Basic Earnings per Share
Net income attributable to Stepan Company	$	30,723	$	31,913
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding		23,082		22,901
Basic earnings per share	$	1.33	$	1.39

Computation of Diluted Earnings per Share
Net income attributable to Stepan Company	$	30,723	$	31,913
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding		23,082		22,901
Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of options (under treasury stock method) ⁽¹⁾		119		183
Add weighted-average net shares related to unvested stock awards (under treasury stock method)		2		8
Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of SARs (under treasury stock method) ⁽¹⁾		122		142
Add weighted-average contingently issuable net shares related to performance stock awards (under treasury stock method)		64		97
Weighted-average shares applicable to diluted earnings		23,389		23,331
Diluted earnings per share	$	1.31	$	1.37

⁽¹⁾ Options/SARs to acquire 2,807 and 74,521 shares of Company common stock were excluded from the computations of diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and March 31, 2017, because the effect of including the instruments would have been antidilutive.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

10.	ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

Below is the change in the Company’s AOCI balance by component (net of income taxes) for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands)	Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments			Defined Benefit Pension Plan Adjustments			Cash Flow Hedge Adjustments			Total
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	(96,775	)	$	(30,790	)	$	100		$	(127,465	)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications		10,441			—			—			10,441
Amounts reclassified from AOCI		—			565			(2	)		563
Net current-period other comprehensive income		10,441			565			(2	)		11,004
Balance at March 31, 2017	$	(86,334	)	$	(30,225	)	$	98		$	(116,461	)

Balance at December 31, 2017	$	(70,561	)	$	(29,093	)	$	91		$	(99,563	)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications		8,785			—			—			8,785
Amounts reclassified from AOCI		—			753			(3	)		750
Net current-period other comprehensive income		8,785			753			(3	)		9,535
Balance at March 31, 2018	$	(61,776	)	$	(28,340	)	$	88		$	(90,028	)

Information regarding the reclassifications out of AOCI for the three month periods ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, is displayed below:

(In thousands)	Amount Reclassified from AOCI (a)
AOCI Components	Three Months Ended March 31						Affected Line Item in Consolidated Statements of Income
	2018			2017
Amortization of defined benefit pension actuarial losses	$	(994	)	$	(880	)	(b)
		241			315		Tax benefit
	$	(753	)	$	(565	)	Net of tax
Gains and losses on cash flow hedges:
Foreign exchange contracts		3			2		Cost of sales
		3			2		Total before tax
		—			—		Tax benefit
	$	3		$	2		Net of tax
Total reclassifications for the period	$	(750	)	$	(563	)	Net of tax

(a)

Amounts in parentheses denote expense to statement of income.

(b)

This component of accumulated other comprehensive income is included in the computation of net periodic benefit cost (see Note 8 for additional details).

Segment Reporting

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Segment Reporting

11.	SEGMENT REPORTING

The Company has three reportable segments: Surfactants, Polymers and Specialty Products. Net sales by segment for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, were as follows:

(In thousands)	Three Months Ended March 31
	2018		2017
Segment Net Sales
Surfactants	$	358,940	$	322,603
Polymers		121,933		126,610
Specialty Products		18,462		19,056
Total	$	499,335	$	468,269

Segment operating income and reconciliations of segment operating income to consolidated income before income taxes for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, are summarized below:

(In thousands)	Three Months Ended March 31
	2018			2017
Segment Operating Income⁽²⁾
Surfactants	$	40,251		$	38,371
Polymers		16,894			21,425
Specialty Products		(350	)		1,286
Segment operating income		56,795			61,082
Business restructuring		(358	)		(786	)
Unallocated corporate expenses ⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾		(16,782	)		(14,066	)
Consolidated operating income⁽²⁾		39,655			46,230
Interest expense, net		(3,151	)		(2,992	)
Other, net⁽²⁾		1,160			1,092
Consolidated income before income taxes	$	37,664		$	44,330

⁽¹⁾

Unallocated corporate expenses primarily comprise corporate administrative expenses (e.g., corporate finance, legal, human resources, information systems, deferred compensation and environmental remediation) that are not included in segment operating income and not used to evaluate segment performance.

⁽²⁾ The 2017 data has been immaterially changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2018 adoption of ASU No. 2017-7, Compensation-Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost.

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Revenue From Contract With Customer [Abstract]

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

12. REVENUE FROM CONTRACTS WITH CUSTOMERS

In the majority of instances the Company deems a contract with a customer to exist when a purchase order is received from a customer for a specified quantity of product or products and the Company acknowledges receipt of such purchase order. In some instances the Company has entered into manufacturing supply agreements with customers but these agreements typically do not bind a customer to any purchase volume requirements and thus an obligation is not created until the customer submits a purchase order to the Company. The Company’s contracts typically have a single performance obligation that is satisfied at the time product is shipped. For a small portion of the business, performance obligations are deemed satisfied when product is delivered to a customer location. Revenue is recognized when performance obligations under terms of a contract with a customer have been satisfied, which is predominantly at a point in time. With the 2018 adoption of ASU 2014-09, revenue is currently recognized when a customer obtains control of a product as compared to the “risk and rewards” criteria used in prior years. However, the adoption of ASU 2014-09 did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial position or results of operations during the first quarter of 2018.

Payment terms on sales of product typically range from 30 to 60 days and ordinarily do not exceed 75 days. As a result, the Company has concluded it does not provide any significant benefits of financing to its customers.

The Company has elected to account for shipping and handling as activities to fulfill a promise to transfer the good. As such, shipping and handling fees billed to customers in a sales transaction are recorded in Net Sales and shipping and handling costs incurred are recorded in Cost of Sales. The Company has elected to exclude from Net Sales any value added, sales and other taxes that it collects concurrently with revenue producing activities. These accounting policy elections are consistent with the manner in which the Company has historically recorded shipping and handling fees and taxes.

In some instances, a customer may qualify for a rebate based on the volume of purchases made over a specified period of time, typically a quarterly or annual period. The Company estimates the expected volume of total purchases using actual volumes, customer projections and historical order patterns and accrues for these rebates based on the best available information at the time. These estimated rebates are treated as a reduction to Net Sales with the offset being recognized within Current Liabilities. This methodology is consistent with the manner in which the Company has historically estimated and recorded volume based rebates. In other instances, discounts for early payments are offered to certain customers. These discounts are principally accrued for based on a customer’s historical use of discounts. These estimated early payment discounts are accounted for similarly to volume rebates. These forms of variable consideration are considered part of the transaction price.

The Company warrants its products from defects. The Company has concluded that these represent assurance-type warranties as opposed to service-type warranties. Product defects are rare in occurrence. As a result, the Company does not maintain any warranty accruals until such time as it is probable a product defect exists.

As of March 31, 2018, the Company did not have any contract assets or contract liabilities. A contract liability would typically arise when an advance or deposit is received from a customer before the Company recognizes revenue. In practice, this is extremely rare as it would require a customer to make a payment prior to a performance obligation being satisfied. If such a situation did arise the Company would maintain a deferred revenue liability until the time a performance obligation has been satisfied. The Company did not recognize any revenue in the current period from any pre-existing contract liability balance.

The tables below provides a geographic disaggregation of net sales for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017. The Company’s business segmentation by geographic region most effectively captures the nature and economic characteristics of the Company’s revenue streams impacted by economic factors. This regional data is the predominant information used by senior management to assess the financial performance of operating segments and make resource allocation decisions.

	For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
(In thousands)
	Surfactants		Polymers		Specialty		Total
Geographic Market
North America	$	220,405	$	73,474	$	14,814	$	308,693
Europe		78,371		41,784		3,648		123,803
Latin America		41,688		827		—		42,515
Asia		18,476		5,848		—		24,324
Total	$	358,940	$	121,933	$	18,462	$	499,335

	For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2017
(In thousands)
	Surfactants		Polymers		Specialty		Total
Geographic Market
North America	$	198,243	$	78,364	$	14,935	$	291,542
Europe		63,423		42,403		4,121		109,947
Latin America		43,505		1,298		—		44,803
Asia		17,432		4,545		—		21,977
Total	$	322,603	$	126,610	$	19,056	$	468,269

Debt

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Debt

13.

DEBT

At March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, debt comprised the following:

(In thousands)	Maturity Dates	March 31, 2018		December 31, 2017
Unsecured private placement notes
3.95% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $392 and $346 for 2018 and 2017, respectively)	2021-2027	$	99,608	$	99,654
3.86% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $388 and $343 for 2018 and 2017, respectively)	2019-2025		99,612		99,657
4.86% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $215 and $191 for 2018 and 2017, respectively)	2018-2023		55,499		55,523
5.88% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $106 and $95 for 2018 and 2017, respectively)	2018-2022		28,465		28,476
5.69% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $12 for 2018 and 2017)	2018		5,703		5,703
Debt of foreign subsidiaries
Unsecured bank debt, foreign currency	2018		1,926		1,786
Total debt		$	290,813	$	290,799
Less current maturities			22,640		22,500
Long-term debt		$	268,173	$	268,299

On January 30, 2018, the Company entered into a five year committed $350 million multi-currency revolving credit facility that matures on January 30, 2023 with a syndicate of banks. This credit facility replaced the Company’s prior $125 million credit agreement. The Company’s outstanding Note Purchase Agreements were amended effective January 30, 2018 to make certain covenants consistent with those included in the credit agreement. The Company maintains standby letters of credit under its workers’ compensation insurance agreements and for other purposes, as needed from time to time, which are issued under the revolving credit agreement. As of March 31, 2018, the Company had outstanding letters of credit totaling $4,927,000 and no outstanding debt under this agreement. There was $345,073,000 available under the revolving credit agreement as of March 31, 2018.

The Company’s loan agreements contain provisions which, among others, require maintenance of certain financial ratios and place limitations on additional debt, investments and payment of dividends. Based on the loan agreement provisions that place limitations on dividend payments, unrestricted retained earnings (i.e., retained earnings available for dividend distribution) were $136,167,000 and $190,495,000 at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively.

Other, Net

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Other Income And Expenses [Abstract]

Other, Net

14.	OTHER, NET

Other, net in the consolidated statements of income included the following:

(In thousands)	Three Months Ended March 31
	2018			2017
Foreign exchange gains (losses)	$	1,053		$	(484	)
Investment income		139			102
Realized and unrealized gains on investments		97			1,645
Net periodic benefit cost		(129	)		(171	)
Other, net	$	1,160		$	1,092

Based on requirements of ASU No. 2017-07, Compensation-Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost, the Company reclassified Net periodic benefit cost outside of income from operations. See Note 8 for more details for the components of Net periodic benefit cost.

Business Restructuring

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Restructuring And Related Activities [Abstract]

Business Restructuring

15.	BUSINESS RESTRUCTURING

In May 2016, the Company announced plans to shut down its Longford Mills, Ontario, Canada (Longford Mills) manufacturing facility, a part of the Surfactant reportable segment, by December 31, 2016. The shutdown plan was developed as an effort to improve the Company’s asset utilization in North America and to reduce the Company’s fixed cost base. Manufacturing operations of the Longford Mills plant ceased by the end of 2016, and production of goods manufactured at the facility was transferred to other Company North American production sites. Decommissioning of the assets is expected to continue throughout 2018. As of March 31, 2018, $5,197,000 of aggregate restructuring expense has been recognized, reflecting $1,594,000 of termination benefits for approximately 30 employees and $3,603,000 for other expenses, principally asset decommissioning costs.

Below is a reconciliation of the December 31, 2017 and the March 31, 2018 restructuring liabilities:

(In thousands)	Termination Benefits			Other Expense			Total
Restructuring liability at December 31, 2017	$	592		$	99		$	691
Expense recognized		—			358			358
Amounts paid		(140	)		(409	)		(549	)
Foreign currency translation		(3	)		(4	)		(7	)
Restructuring liability at March 31, 2018	$	449		$	44		$	493

Acquisition

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Acquisition

16.	ACQUISITION

2018 Acquisition

On March 26, 2018, the Company through a subsidiary in Mexico closed on a previously announced agreement with BASF Mexicana, S.A.DE C.V.to acquire their surfactants production facility in Ecatepec, Mexico and a portion of their associated surfactants business. The facility is located close to Mexico City and has over 50,000 metric tons of capacity, 124,000 square footage of warehouse space, a large laboratory and office space. The acquired assets and business are included in the Company’s Surfactants segment. The purchase price of the acquisition was $21,475,000 and was paid with cash on hand. The primary assets acquired were land, buildings, machinery and equipment and inventory. The acquisition was accounted for as a business combination, and, accordingly, the assets acquired were measured and recorded at their estimated fair values. The purchase price allocations are preliminary as of March 31, 2018 because the valuations necessary to assess the fair values of net assets acquired are still in process.

(In thousands)
Assets:
Property, plant and equipment	$	14,464
Inventory		4,500
Value-added tax receivables		2,511
Total assets acquired	$	21,475

The acquired business is expected to have minimal impact on the Company’s 2018 financial results. Pro forma financial information for the first quarter 2017 and 2018 has not been included because revenues and earnings of the Company would not have been significantly different than reported had the acquisition date been January 1, 2017.

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
Income Taxes	Mar. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	17. INCOME TAXES On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Tax Act). The Tax Act made broad and complex changes to the U.S. tax code. For various reasons that are discussed more fully below, we have not completed our accounting for the income tax effects of certain elements of the Tax Act. If we were able to make reasonable estimates of the effects of elements for which our analysis is not yet complete, we recorded provisional adjustments. If we were not yet able to make reasonable estimates of the impact of certain elements, we have not recorded any adjustments related to those elements and have continued accounting for them in accordance with ASC 740 on the basis of the tax laws in effect before the Tax Act. Our accounting for the Tax Act is incomplete. As noted at year-end, we were able to reasonably estimate certain effects and, therefore, recorded the provisional adjustments related to the following: Reduction of U.S. federal corporate tax rate: The Tax Act reduced the corporate tax rate to 21 percent, effective January 1, 2018. We recorded a provisional adjustment for certain of our deferred tax assets and liabilities associated with the tax rate reduction for the year ended December 31, 2017. We have not made any additional measurement-period adjustments in the quarter because such adjustments may be affected by other analyses related to the Tax Act, including, but not limited to, our calculation of deemed repatriation of deferred foreign income and the state tax effect of adjustments made to federal temporary differences. However, we are continuing to gather additional information to complete our accounting for this item and expect to complete our accounting within the prescribed measurement period. Deemed Repatriation Transition Tax: The Transition Tax is a tax on previously untaxed accumulated and current earnings and profits of certain of our foreign subsidiaries. We recorded a provisional Transition Tax obligation for the year ended December 31, 2017. We have not made any additional measurement-period adjustments in the quarter because we are continuing to gather additional information to more precisely compute the amount of the Transition Tax. However, we expect to complete our accounting within the prescribed measurement period. Our accounting for the Tax Act is incomplete. As noted at year-end, we were not yet able to reasonably estimate the effects for the following items: Therefore, no provisional adjustments were recorded: Global intangible low taxed income (GILTI): The Tax Act requires the Company to include certain income (GILTI) of its foreign subsidiaries in gross income. The amount of this inclusion is determined under complex rules, and depends, in part, on the character of income earned by the foreign subsidiaries, the tax bases of those subsidiaries’ assets and the amount of certain interest expenses. Under U.S. GAAP, we are allowed to make an accounting policy choice of either (1) treating taxes due on future income inclusions related to GILTI as a current-period expense when incurred (the period cost method) or (2) accounting for such amounts in measuring deferred taxes (the deferred method). Our selection of an accounting policy with respect to the new GILTI tax rules will depend, in part, on analyzing our global income to determine whether we expect to have future income inclusions related to GILTI and, if so, what the impact is expected to be. These determinations depend not only on our current structure and estimated future results of global operations but also our intent and ability to modify our structure and/or our business. Therefore, we have not made any adjustments or estimates related to any potential deferred tax liabilities related to GILTI in our financial statements and have not made a policy decision regarding whether to record deferred tax liabilities related to GILTI. Deductibility of Executive Compensation: The Tax Act amended certain aspects of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code (Section 162(m)), which generally disallows a tax deduction for annual compensation paid to “covered employees” in excess of $1 million, including eliminating an exception to the deduction limit for “qualified performance-based compensation,” effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017. The Tax Act provides for a grandfather provision, pursuant to which remuneration that is provided pursuant to a written binding contract in effect on November 2, 2017, and which has not been modified in any material respect on or after that date, will not be subject to the amendments made to Section 162(m) by the Tax Act and will remain eligible for deduction as qualified performance-based compensation. To the extent available, we intend to continue to treat “qualified performance-based compensation” that is grandfathered under the Tax Act as deductible compensation. We have not yet completed our evaluation of our existing compensation arrangements to determine whether any amounts payable to our Section 162(m) covered employees may continue to constitute qualified performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) and qualify under the grandfather provision. Therefore, we have not made any adjustments or estimates related to any potential tax liabilities in our financial statements related to the amendments to Section 162(m). Cost recovery: We have not yet completed all of the computations necessary or completed an inventory of our 2017 expenditures that qualify for immediate expensing. Therefore, we have not made any adjustments or estimates related to any potential tax liabilities in our financial statements related to immediate expensing. Valuation allowances: The Company must assess whether valuation allowances assessments are affected by various aspects of the Tax Act (e.g., GILTI inclusions and new categories of foreign tax credits). Because, as discussed herein, the Company has recorded no amounts related to certain portions of the Tax Act, any corresponding determination of the need for or change in a valuation allowance has not been completed and no changes to valuation allowances as a result of the Tax Act have been recorded.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Accounting Changes And Error Corrections [Abstract]

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

18.	RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU No. 2014-9, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The new update was later amended by ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date. The standard outlines a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers. In addition, the ASU requires expanded disclosures about revenue recognition that enable the users of the financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. ASU No. 2014-09 supersedes most of the previous revenue recognition guidance. For public entities, the new guidance, as amended, is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. On January, 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2014-9, which did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. The Company has added Note 12 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers to comply with the expanded disclosure requirements of ASU No. 2014-9.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-2, Leases (Topic 842). This guidance requires a dual approach for lessee accounting whereby a lessee will account for lease arrangements with terms greater than 12 months as either finance leases or operating leases. Both finance leases and operating leases will be recognized on the lessee’s balance sheet as right-of-use assets and corresponding lease liabilities, with differing methodologies for income statement recognition. In addition, the ASU requires expanded qualitative and quantitative disclosures about the Company’s lease arrangements. This guidance is effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. A modified retrospective approach is required for all leases existing or entered into after the beginning of the earliest comparative period in the consolidated financial statements. Most of the Company’s operating leases will be required to be placed on the balance sheet. The Company is assessing the quantitative impact that adoption of ASU No. 2016-2 will have on its financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which adds or clarifies guidance on the classification of eight specific types of cash flows. The update is intended to reduce the existing diversity in practice with respect to the specific cash flow items. The amendments in ASU No. 2016-15 are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2016-15, which had an immaterial impact on the cash flow presentation and did not impact the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory. The update requires an entity to recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs. Current accounting guidance prohibits the recognition of current and deferred income taxes for an intra-entity asset transfer until the asset has been sold to an outside party. The amendments in ASU No. 2016-16 are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for all entities as of the beginning of an annual reporting period for which financial statements (interim or annual) have not been issued or made available for issuance. That is, earlier adoption should be in the first interim period if an entity issues interim financial statements. The amendments in this update should be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2016-16, which did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position or results of operations and cash flows.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-4, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, which eliminates Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. When an indication of impairment was identified after performing the first step of the goodwill impairment test, Step 2 required that an entity determine the fair value at the impairment testing date of its assets and liabilities (including unrecognized assets and liabilities) using the same procedure that would be required in determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination. Under the amendments in ASU No. 2017-4, an entity would perform its annual, or interim, goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying value. An entity would recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value. In addition, an entity must consider income tax effects from any tax deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if applicable. A public business entity that is a SEC filer should adopt the amendments in ASU No. 2017-4 for its annual, or any interim, goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. It is not expected that the adoption of the guidance in ASU No. 2017-4 will have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No.2017-1, Business Combination (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business, with the objective of adding guidance to assist with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as an acquisition (or disposal) of assets or a business. This Update provides criteria to help determine when a set of assets and activities comprise a business as opposed to an acquisition of assets. This guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those periods. On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2017-1, which did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-7, Compensation – Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost, which amends existing guidance for the income statement presentation of the components of net periodic benefit cost for an entity’s sponsored defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans. The amended guidance requires entities to include the current service component of net periodic benefit cost in employee compensation costs in the income statement and to include all other components elsewhere in the income statement outside of income from operations. In addition, only the service cost component of net benefit cost is eligible for capitalization. For the Company, ASU No. 2017-7 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 31, 2017, with early adoption permitted as of the beginning of any annual period for which an entity’s financial statements have not been issued. The requirements for the separate presentation of the service cost component and the other components of net periodic benefit cost must be adopted on a retrospective basis. The requirement to capitalize only the service component of net periodic benefit cost must be adopted on a prospective basis. On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2017-7, which did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position or cash flows but affected the presentation of the Company’s results of operations. For amounts reclassified on the Company’s statements of the results of operations, see Note 8 and Note 14.

In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities, which amends previous guidance regarding hedge accounting recognition and presentation requirements. The updated guidance alters the hedge accounting model to make achieving hedge accounting easier for an entity and to have such accounting better reflect an entity’s risk management activities. ASU No. 2017-12 also adds new, and amends previous, disclosure requirements. For the Company, ASU No. 2017-12 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. Entities must apply a modified retrospective approach to existing hedging relationships as of the adoption date. At present, because the Company has not entered into any transactions designated as accounting hedges, adoption of ASU No. 2017-12 is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

In January 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-01, Leases (Topic 842): Land Easement Practical Expedient for Transition to Topic 842, which permits an entity to select an optional transition practical expedient to not evaluate under Topic 842 existing or expired land easements that were not previously accounted for as leases under the current leases guidance in Topic 840. An entity that elects this practical expedient should apply the practical expedient consistently to all of its existing or expired land easements that were not previously accounted for as leases under Topic 840. Once an entity adopts Topic 842, it should apply that Topic prospectively to all new (or modified) land easements to determine whether the arrangement should be accounted for as a lease. An entity that does not elect this practical expedient should evaluate all existing or expired land easements in connection with the adoption of the new lease requirements in Topic 842 to assess whether they meet the definition of a lease. An entity should continue to apply its current accounting policy for accounting for land easements that existed before the entity’s adoption of Topic 842. This update is effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is assessing the quantitative impact that adoption of ASU No. 2018-01 will have on its financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-02, Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, which permits a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Consequently, the Update eliminates the stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and will improve the usefulness of information reported to financial statement users. However, because the amendments only relate to the reclassification of the income tax effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts, the underlying guidance that requires that the effects of the change in tax laws or rates be included in income from continuing operations is not affected. The amendments in this update also require certain disclosures about stranded tax effects. This update is effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is assessing the quantitative impact that adoption of ASU No. 2018-02 will have on its financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements (Policies)	3 Months Ended
Recent Accounting Pronouncements (Policies)	Mar. 31, 2018
Accounting Changes And Error Corrections [Abstract]
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU No. 2014-9, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The new update was later amended by ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date. The standard outlines a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers. In addition, the ASU requires expanded disclosures about revenue recognition that enable the users of the financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. ASU No. 2014-09 supersedes most of the previous revenue recognition guidance. For public entities, the new guidance, as amended, is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. On January, 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2014-9, which did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. The Company has added Note 12 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers to comply with the expanded disclosure requirements of ASU No. 2014-9. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-2, Leases (Topic 842). This guidance requires a dual approach for lessee accounting whereby a lessee will account for lease arrangements with terms greater than 12 months as either finance leases or operating leases. Both finance leases and operating leases will be recognized on the lessee’s balance sheet as right-of-use assets and corresponding lease liabilities, with differing methodologies for income statement recognition. In addition, the ASU requires expanded qualitative and quantitative disclosures about the Company’s lease arrangements. This guidance is effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. A modified retrospective approach is required for all leases existing or entered into after the beginning of the earliest comparative period in the consolidated financial statements. Most of the Company’s operating leases will be required to be placed on the balance sheet. The Company is assessing the quantitative impact that adoption of ASU No. 2016-2 will have on its financial position, results of operations and cash flows. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which adds or clarifies guidance on the classification of eight specific types of cash flows. The update is intended to reduce the existing diversity in practice with respect to the specific cash flow items. The amendments in ASU No. 2016-15 are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2016-15, which had an immaterial impact on the cash flow presentation and did not impact the Company’s financial position or results of operations. In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory. The update requires an entity to recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs. Current accounting guidance prohibits the recognition of current and deferred income taxes for an intra-entity asset transfer until the asset has been sold to an outside party. The amendments in ASU No. 2016-16 are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for all entities as of the beginning of an annual reporting period for which financial statements (interim or annual) have not been issued or made available for issuance. That is, earlier adoption should be in the first interim period if an entity issues interim financial statements. The amendments in this update should be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2016-16, which did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position or results of operations and cash flows. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-4, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, which eliminates Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. When an indication of impairment was identified after performing the first step of the goodwill impairment test, Step 2 required that an entity determine the fair value at the impairment testing date of its assets and liabilities (including unrecognized assets and liabilities) using the same procedure that would be required in determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination. Under the amendments in ASU No. 2017-4, an entity would perform its annual, or interim, goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying value. An entity would recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value. In addition, an entity must consider income tax effects from any tax deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if applicable. A public business entity that is a SEC filer should adopt the amendments in ASU No. 2017-4 for its annual, or any interim, goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. It is not expected that the adoption of the guidance in ASU No. 2017-4 will have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No.2017-1, Business Combination (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business, with the objective of adding guidance to assist with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as an acquisition (or disposal) of assets or a business. This Update provides criteria to help determine when a set of assets and activities comprise a business as opposed to an acquisition of assets. This guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those periods. On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2017-1, which did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-7, Compensation – Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost, which amends existing guidance for the income statement presentation of the components of net periodic benefit cost for an entity’s sponsored defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans. The amended guidance requires entities to include the current service component of net periodic benefit cost in employee compensation costs in the income statement and to include all other components elsewhere in the income statement outside of income from operations. In addition, only the service cost component of net benefit cost is eligible for capitalization. For the Company, ASU No. 2017-7 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 31, 2017, with early adoption permitted as of the beginning of any annual period for which an entity’s financial statements have not been issued. The requirements for the separate presentation of the service cost component and the other components of net periodic benefit cost must be adopted on a retrospective basis. The requirement to capitalize only the service component of net periodic benefit cost must be adopted on a prospective basis. On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2017-7, which did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position or cash flows but affected the presentation of the Company’s results of operations. For amounts reclassified on the Company’s statements of the results of operations, see Note 8 and Note 14. In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities, which amends previous guidance regarding hedge accounting recognition and presentation requirements. The updated guidance alters the hedge accounting model to make achieving hedge accounting easier for an entity and to have such accounting better reflect an entity’s risk management activities. ASU No. 2017-12 also adds new, and amends previous, disclosure requirements. For the Company, ASU No. 2017-12 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. Entities must apply a modified retrospective approach to existing hedging relationships as of the adoption date. At present, because the Company has not entered into any transactions designated as accounting hedges, adoption of ASU No. 2017-12 is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows. In January 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-01, Leases (Topic 842): Land Easement Practical Expedient for Transition to Topic 842, which permits an entity to select an optional transition practical expedient to not evaluate under Topic 842 existing or expired land easements that were not previously accounted for as leases under the current leases guidance in Topic 840. An entity that elects this practical expedient should apply the practical expedient consistently to all of its existing or expired land easements that were not previously accounted for as leases under Topic 840. Once an entity adopts Topic 842, it should apply that Topic prospectively to all new (or modified) land easements to determine whether the arrangement should be accounted for as a lease. An entity that does not elect this practical expedient should evaluate all existing or expired land easements in connection with the adoption of the new lease requirements in Topic 842 to assess whether they meet the definition of a lease. An entity should continue to apply its current accounting policy for accounting for land easements that existed before the entity’s adoption of Topic 842. This update is effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is assessing the quantitative impact that adoption of ASU No. 2018-01 will have on its financial position, results of operations and cash flows. In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-02, Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, which permits a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Consequently, the Update eliminates the stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and will improve the usefulness of information reported to financial statement users. However, because the amendments only relate to the reclassification of the income tax effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts, the underlying guidance that requires that the effects of the change in tax laws or rates be included in income from continuing operations is not affected. The amendments in this update also require certain disclosures about stranded tax effects. This update is effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is assessing the quantitative impact that adoption of ASU No. 2018-02 will have on its financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Reconciliations of Equity (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Reconciliations of Total Equity

Below are reconciliations of total equity, Company equity and equity attributable to noncontrolling interests for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands)	Total Equity			Stepan Company Equity			Noncontrolling Interests’ Equity ⁽³⁾
Balance at January 1, 2018	$	740,914		$	740,096		$	818
Net income		30,716			30,723			(7	)
Dividends		(5,092	)		(5,092	)
Common stock purchases ⁽¹⁾		(5,667	)		(5,667	)
Stock option exercises		3,155			3,155
Defined benefit pension adjustments, net of tax		753			753
Translation adjustments		8,817			8,785			32
Derivative instrument activity, net of tax		(3	)		(3	)		—
Other ⁽²⁾		1,833			1,833			—
Balance at March 31, 2018	$	775,426		$	774,583		$	843

(In thousands)	Total Equity			Stepan Company Equity			Noncontrolling Interests’ Equity ⁽³⁾
Balance at January 1, 2017	$	635,916		$	634,604		$	1,312
Net income		31,912			31,913			(1	)
Dividends		(4,606	)		(4,606	)		—
Common stock purchases ⁽¹⁾		(2,991	)		(2,991	)		—
Stock option exercises		835			835			—
Defined benefit pension adjustments, net of tax		565			565			—
Translation adjustments		10,454			10,441			13
Derivative instrument activity, net of tax		(2	)		(2	)		—
Other ⁽²⁾		2,474			2,474			—
Balance at March 31, 2017	$	674,557		$	673,233		$	1,324

⁽¹⁾

⁽²⁾

⁽³⁾

Reflects the noncontrolling interest in the Company’s China joint venture.

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Fair Values and Related Carrying Values of Debt

(In thousands)

March 31,

2018

December 31,

2017

Fair value

289,316

293,272

Carrying value

291,926

291,786

Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured on a Recurring Basis at Fair Value

(In thousands)	March 2018		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Mutual fund assets	$	26,725	$	26,725	$	—	$	—
Derivative assets:
Foreign currency contracts		97		—		97		—
Total assets at fair value	$	26,822	$	26,725	$	97	$	—
Derivative liabilities:
Foreign currency contracts	$	88	$	—	$	88	$	—

(In thousands)	December 2017		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Mutual fund assets	$	28,270	$	28,270	$	—	$	—
Derivative assets:
Foreign currency contracts		335		—		335		—
Total assets at fair value	$	28,605	$	28,270	$	335	$	—
Derivative liabilities :
Foreign currency contracts	$	94	$	—	$	94	$	—

Tabular disclosure of financial instruments measured at fair value, including those classified in shareholders' equity measured on a recurring or nonrecurring basis. Disclosures include, but are not limited to, fair value measurements recorded and the reasons for the measurements, level within the fair value hierarchy in which the fair value measurements are categorized and transfers between levels 1 and 2. Nonrecurring fair value measurements are those that are required or permitted in the statement of financial position in particular circumstances.

Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]

Stock-Based Compensation (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Compensation Expense Recorded for All Stock Options, Stock Awards and SARs

Compensation expense recorded for all stock options, stock awards and SARs was as follows:

Unrecognized Compensation Costs for Stock Options, Stock Awards and SARs

Unrecognized compensation costs for stock options, stock awards and SARs were as follows:

(In thousands)	March 31, 2018		December 31, 2017
Stock options	$	2,424	$	1,179
Stock awards		6,022		3,737
SARs		5,191		2,398

Share Based Payment Awards Granted in Period

The increases in unrecognized compensation costs for stock options, stock awards and SARs reflected the 2018 grants of:

	Shares
Stock options		76,404
Stock awards (at target)		49,103
SARs		169,267

Inventories (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]

Composition of Inventories

The composition of inventories at March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, was as follows:

(In thousands)	March 31, 2018		December 31, 2017
Finished goods	$	128,474	$	117,529
Raw materials		59,263		55,219
Total inventories	$	187,737	$	172,748

Postretirement Benefit Plans (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]

Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost

	United States						United Kingdom
(In thousands)	Three Months Ended March 31						Three Months Ended March 31
	2018			2017			2018			2017
Interest cost	$	1,539		$	1,661		$	148		$	143
Expected return on plan assets		(2,321	)		(2,321	)		(231	)		(192	)
Amortization of net actuarial loss		937			788			57			92
Net periodic benefit cost (income)	$	155		$	128		$	(26	)	$	43

Defined Contribution Plan Expenses for Company's Retirement Savings Plans and Profit Sharing Plan

Defined contribution plan expenses for the Company’s retirement savings and profit sharing plans were as follows:

(In thousands)	Three Months Ended March 31
	2018		2017
Retirement savings plans	$	1,757	$	1,259
Profit sharing plan		942		1,843
Total defined contribution expense	$	2,699	$	3,102

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Computation of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share

Below are the computations of basic and diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands, except per share amounts)	Three Months Ended March 31
	2018		2017
Computation of Basic Earnings per Share
Net income attributable to Stepan Company	$	30,723	$	31,913
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding		23,082		22,901
Basic earnings per share	$	1.33	$	1.39

Computation of Diluted Earnings per Share
Net income attributable to Stepan Company	$	30,723	$	31,913
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding		23,082		22,901
Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of options (under treasury stock method) ⁽¹⁾		119		183
Add weighted-average net shares related to unvested stock awards (under treasury stock method)		2		8
Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of SARs (under treasury stock method) ⁽¹⁾		122		142
Add weighted-average contingently issuable net shares related to performance stock awards (under treasury stock method)		64		97
Weighted-average shares applicable to diluted earnings		23,389		23,331
Diluted earnings per share	$	1.31	$	1.37

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Summary of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

Below is the change in the Company’s AOCI balance by component (net of income taxes) for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands)	Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments			Defined Benefit Pension Plan Adjustments			Cash Flow Hedge Adjustments			Total
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	(96,775	)	$	(30,790	)	$	100		$	(127,465	)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications		10,441			—			—			10,441
Amounts reclassified from AOCI		—			565			(2	)		563
Net current-period other comprehensive income		10,441			565			(2	)		11,004
Balance at March 31, 2017	$	(86,334	)	$	(30,225	)	$	98		$	(116,461	)

Balance at December 31, 2017	$	(70,561	)	$	(29,093	)	$	91		$	(99,563	)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications		8,785			—			—			8,785
Amounts reclassified from AOCI		—			753			(3	)		750
Net current-period other comprehensive income		8,785			753			(3	)		9,535
Balance at March 31, 2018	$	(61,776	)	$	(28,340	)	$	88		$	(90,028	)

Summary of Amounts Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

Information regarding the reclassifications out of AOCI for the three month periods ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, is displayed below:

(In thousands)	Amount Reclassified from AOCI (a)
AOCI Components	Three Months Ended March 31						Affected Line Item in Consolidated Statements of Income
	2018			2017
Amortization of defined benefit pension actuarial losses	$	(994	)	$	(880	)	(b)
		241			315		Tax benefit
	$	(753	)	$	(565	)	Net of tax
Gains and losses on cash flow hedges:
Foreign exchange contracts		3			2		Cost of sales
		3			2		Total before tax
		—			—		Tax benefit
	$	3		$	2		Net of tax
Total reclassifications for the period	$	(750	)	$	(563	)	Net of tax

(a)

Amounts in parentheses denote expense to statement of income.

(b)

This component of accumulated other comprehensive income is included in the computation of net periodic benefit cost (see Note 8 for additional details).

Segment Reporting (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Operating Segment

The Company has three reportable segments: Surfactants, Polymers and Specialty Products. Net sales by segment for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, were as follows:

(In thousands)	Three Months Ended March 31
	2018		2017
Segment Net Sales
Surfactants	$	358,940	$	322,603
Polymers		121,933		126,610
Specialty Products		18,462		19,056
Total	$	499,335	$	468,269

Reconciliation of Segment Information to Consolidated Financial Statements

Segment operating income and reconciliations of segment operating income to consolidated income before income taxes for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, are summarized below:

(In thousands)	Three Months Ended March 31
	2018			2017
Segment Operating Income⁽²⁾
Surfactants	$	40,251		$	38,371
Polymers		16,894			21,425
Specialty Products		(350	)		1,286
Segment operating income		56,795			61,082
Business restructuring		(358	)		(786	)
Unallocated corporate expenses ⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾		(16,782	)		(14,066	)
Consolidated operating income⁽²⁾		39,655			46,230
Interest expense, net		(3,151	)		(2,992	)
Other, net⁽²⁾		1,160			1,092
Consolidated income before income taxes	$	37,664		$	44,330

⁽¹⁾

Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Revenue From Contract With Customer [Abstract]

Geographic Disaggregation of Net Sales

	For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
(In thousands)
	Surfactants		Polymers		Specialty		Total
Geographic Market
North America	$	220,405	$	73,474	$	14,814	$	308,693
Europe		78,371		41,784		3,648		123,803
Latin America		41,688		827		—		42,515
Asia		18,476		5,848		—		24,324
Total	$	358,940	$	121,933	$	18,462	$	499,335

	For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2017
(In thousands)
	Surfactants		Polymers		Specialty		Total
Geographic Market
North America	$	198,243	$	78,364	$	14,935	$	291,542
Europe		63,423		42,403		4,121		109,947
Latin America		43,505		1,298		—		44,803
Asia		17,432		4,545		—		21,977
Total	$	322,603	$	126,610	$	19,056	$	468,269

Debt (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Debt

At March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, debt comprised the following:

(In thousands)	Maturity Dates	March 31, 2018		December 31, 2017
Unsecured private placement notes
3.95% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $392 and $346 for 2018 and 2017, respectively)	2021-2027	$	99,608	$	99,654
3.86% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $388 and $343 for 2018 and 2017, respectively)	2019-2025		99,612		99,657
4.86% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $215 and $191 for 2018 and 2017, respectively)	2018-2023		55,499		55,523
5.88% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $106 and $95 for 2018 and 2017, respectively)	2018-2022		28,465		28,476
5.69% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $12 for 2018 and 2017)	2018		5,703		5,703
Debt of foreign subsidiaries
Unsecured bank debt, foreign currency	2018		1,926		1,786
Total debt		$	290,813	$	290,799
Less current maturities			22,640		22,500
Long-term debt		$	268,173	$	268,299

Other Income And Expenses [Abstract]

Tabular disclosure of long-debt instruments or arrangements, including identification, terms, features, collateral requirements and other information necessary to a fair presentation. These are debt arrangements that originally required repayment more than twelve months after issuance or greater than the normal operating cycle of the entity, if longer.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.22)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84159872&loc=d3e21475-112644

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 470
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=75038535&loc=d3e64711-112823

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 235
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(e),(f))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e23780-122690

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 835
-SubTopic 30
-Section 55
-Paragraph 8
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64930739&loc=d3e28878-108400

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 8
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84159872&loc=d3e21538-112644

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 6
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84159872&loc=d3e21506-112644

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 835
-SubTopic 30
-Section 45
-Paragraph 1A
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64930785&loc=d3e28541-108399

Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 835
-SubTopic 30
-Section 45
-Paragraph 2
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64930785&loc=d3e28551-108399

Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 7
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84159872&loc=d3e21521-112644

+ Details

Other, Net (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Other Net in Consolidated Statements of Income

Other, net in the consolidated statements of income included the following:

(In thousands)	Three Months Ended March 31
	2018			2017
Foreign exchange gains (losses)	$	1,053		$	(484	)
Investment income		139			102
Realized and unrealized gains on investments		97			1,645
Net periodic benefit cost		(129	)		(171	)
Other, net	$	1,160		$	1,092

Business Restructuring (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Restructuring And Related Activities [Abstract]

Reconciliation of Restructuring Liabilities

Below is a reconciliation of the December 31, 2017 and the March 31, 2018 restructuring liabilities:

(In thousands)	Termination Benefits			Other Expense			Total
Restructuring liability at December 31, 2017	$	592		$	99		$	691
Expense recognized		—			358			358
Amounts paid		(140	)		(409	)		(549	)
Foreign currency translation		(3	)		(4	)		(7	)
Restructuring liability at March 31, 2018	$	449		$	44		$	493

Acquisition (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Summary of Assets Acquired Measured and Recorded at Estimated Fair Values

The acquisition was accounted for as a business combination, and, accordingly, the assets acquired were measured and recorded at their estimated fair values.

(In thousands)
Assets:
Property, plant and equipment	$	14,464
Inventory		4,500
Value-added tax receivables		2,511
Total assets acquired	$	21,475

Reconciliations of Equity - Reconciliations of Total Equity (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Mar. 31, 2017

Reconciliations of total equity

Beginning Balance

$ 740,914

$ 635,916

Net income

30,716

31,912

Dividends

(5,092)

(4,606)

Common stock purchases

^[1]

(5,667)

(2,991)

Stock option exercises

3,155

835

Defined benefit pension adjustments, net of tax

753

565

Translation adjustments

8,817

10,454

Derivative instrument activity, net of tax

(3)

(2)

Other

^[2]

1,833

2,474

Ending Balance

775,426

674,557

Stepan Company Equity [Member]

Reconciliations of total equity

Beginning Balance

740,096

634,604

Net income

30,723

31,913

Dividends

(5,092)

(4,606)

Common stock purchases

^[1]

(5,667)

(2,991)

Stock option exercises

3,155

835

Defined benefit pension adjustments, net of tax

753

565

Translation adjustments

8,785

10,441

Derivative instrument activity, net of tax

(3)

(2)

Other

^[2]

1,833

2,474

Ending Balance

774,583

673,233

Noncontrolling Interests' Equity [Member]

Reconciliations of total equity

Beginning Balance

^[3]

818

1,312

Net income

^[3]

(7)

(1)

Translation adjustments

^[3]

Ending Balance

^[3]

$ 843

$ 1,324

[1]	Includes the value of Company shares purchased in the open market and from the Company’s retirement plans and the value of Company common shares tendered by employees to settle statutory withholding taxes related to distributions of deferred performance awards and deferred management incentive compensation and to exercises of stock appreciation rights.
[2]	Primarily comprised of activity related to stock-based compensation and deferred compensation. Beginning in 2018, also includes beginning retained earnings adjustment as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2018 adoption of ASU No. 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory.
[3]	Reflects the noncontrolling interest in the Company’s China joint venture.

Fair Value Measurements - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	$ 1,113,000	$ 987,000

Fair Value Measurements - Fair Values and Related Carrying Values of Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Carrying value	$ 291,926	$ 291,786
Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value	$ 289,316	$ 293,272

Fair Value Measurements - Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured on a Recurring Basis at Fair Value (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Mutual fund assets	$ 26,725	$ 28,270
Derivative assets:
Foreign currency contracts	97	335
Total assets at fair value	26,822	28,605
Derivative liabilities:
Foreign currency contracts	88	94
Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Mutual fund assets	26,725	28,270
Derivative assets:
Total assets at fair value	26,725	28,270
Level 2 [Member]
Derivative assets:
Foreign currency contracts	97	335
Total assets at fair value	97	335
Derivative liabilities:
Foreign currency contracts	$ 88	$ 94

Derivative Instruments - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative notional amount	$ 52,718,000	$ 41,197,000
Minimum [Member]
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative foreign currency exchange contracts durations	1 month
Maximum [Member]
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative foreign currency exchange contracts durations	3 months

Stock-Based Compensation - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Stock Option and Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) Granted Prior to 2017 [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	2 years
Stock Option and Stock Appreciation Rights (SARS) Granted in 2017 [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	3 years
Percentage of awards vesting in each year	33.33%
Stock Option [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Weighted average period for amortization of unrecognized compensation cost	2 years 4 months 24 days
Stock Awards [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Weighted average period for amortization of unrecognized compensation cost	2 years
SARs [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Weighted average period for amortization of unrecognized compensation cost	2 years 4 months 24 days

Stock-Based Compensation - Compensation Expense Recorded for All Stock Options, Stock Awards and SARs (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Compensation expense	$ 2,232	$ 1,385

Stock-Based Compensation - Unrecognized Compensation Costs for Stock Options, Stock Awards and SARs (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Stock Option [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation costs for stock options, stock awards and SARs	$ 2,424	$ 1,179
Stock Awards [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation costs for stock options, stock awards and SARs	6,022	3,737
SARs [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation costs for stock options, stock awards and SARs	$ 5,191	$ 2,398

Stock-Based Compensation - Share Based Payment Awards Granted in Period (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018 shares
Stock Option [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock options granted in period	76,404
Stock Awards (at target) [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards granted in period	49,103
SARs [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards granted in period	169,267

Inventories - Composition of Inventories (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Finished goods	$ 128,474	$ 117,529
Raw materials	59,263	55,219
Total inventories	$ 187,737	$ 172,748

Inventories - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
LIFO reserve	$ 35,145,000	$ 33,518,000

Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Environmental and legal losses	$ 23,900,000		$ 24,200,000
Cash outlays related to legal and environmental matters	$ 200,000	$ 400,000
Contribution for future response costs	5.00%
Wilmington Site [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Payment of environmental response costs	$ 2,600,000
Minimum [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Environmental and legal losses	23,900,000
Maximum [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Environmental and legal losses	$ 45,200,000

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Net periodic benefit cost (income)	$ 129	$ 171
United States [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Interest cost	1,539	1,661
Expected return on plan assets	(2,321)	(2,321)
Amortization of net actuarial loss	937	788
Net periodic benefit cost (income)	155	128
United Kingdom [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Interest cost	148	143
Expected return on plan assets	(231)	(192)
Amortization of net actuarial loss	57	92
Net periodic benefit cost (income)	$ (26)	$ 43

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Defined Benefit Pension Plans - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Defined Contribution Plan [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Balance of trust assets	$ 1,641,000
U.K Plans [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Expected contribution to qualified plan	500,000
Employer contributions	138,000
U.S Plans [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Expected payment related to non-qualified plan	312,000
Payments related to non-qualified plans	$ 143,000

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Defined Contribution Plan Expenses for the Company's Retirement Savings Plans and Profit Sharing Plan (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total defined contribution expense	$ 2,699	$ 3,102
Retirement Savings Plans [Member]
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total defined contribution expense	1,757	1,259
Profit Sharing Plan [Member]
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total defined contribution expense	$ 942	$ 1,843

Earnings Per Share - Computations of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (Detail) - USD ($)
$ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Mar. 31, 2017

Computation of Basic Earnings per Share

Net income attributable to Stepan Company

^[1]

$ 30,723

$ 31,913

Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding

23,082

22,901

Basic earnings per share

$ 1.33

$ 1.39

Computation of Diluted Earnings per Share

Net income attributable to Stepan Company

$ 30,723

$ 31,913

Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding

23,082

22,901

Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of options (under treasury stock method)

^[2]

119

183

Add weighted-average net shares related to unvested stock awards (under treasury stock method)

Weighted-average shares applicable to diluted earnings

23,389

23,331

Diluted earnings per share

$ 1.31

$ 1.37

Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) [Member]

Computation of Diluted Earnings per Share

Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of options (under treasury stock method)

^[2]

122

142

Performance Stock Award [Member]

Computation of Diluted Earnings per Share

Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of options (under treasury stock method)

[1]	The 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been immaterially changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2018 adoption of Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2017-7, Compensation –Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost.
[2]	Options/SARs to acquire 2,807 and 74,521 shares of Company common stock were excluded from the computations of diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and March 31, 2017, because the effect of including the instruments would have been antidilutive.

Earnings Per Share - Computations of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (Parenthetical) (Detail) - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Options and Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) [Member]
Earnings Per Share Basic [Line Items]
Options to purchase shares of common stock were excluded from the computations of diluted earnings per share	2,807	74,521

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) - Summary of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	$ 740,096
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	8,785	$ 10,441
Amounts reclassified from AOCI	750	563
Net current-period other comprehensive income	9,535	11,004
Ending Balance	774,583
Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	(70,561)	(96,775)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	8,785	10,441
Net current-period other comprehensive income	8,785	10,441
Ending Balance	(61,776)	(86,334)
Defined Benefit Pension Plan Adjustments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	(29,093)	(30,790)
Amounts reclassified from AOCI	753	565
Net current-period other comprehensive income	753	565
Ending Balance	(28,340)	(30,225)
Cash Flow Hedge Adjustments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	91	100
Amounts reclassified from AOCI	(3)	(2)
Net current-period other comprehensive income	(3)	(2)
Ending Balance	88	98
AOCI Attributable to Parent [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	(99,563)	(127,465)
Ending Balance	$ (90,028)	$ (116,461)

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) - Summary of Amounts Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Mar. 31, 2017

Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]

Defined Benefit Pension Plan Adjustments [Member] | Amounts Reclassified From Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]

$ 37,664

$ 44,330

Tax benefit

(6,948)

(12,418)

Cost of Sales

409,765

376,150

Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]

Amortization of defined benefit pension actuarial losses

^[1],[2]

(994)

(880)

Tax benefit

^[1]

241

315

Income applicable to common stock

^[1]

(753)

(565)

Cash Flow Hedge Adjustments [Member] | Amounts Reclassified From Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]

Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]

Income applicable to common stock

^[1]

^[1]

Cash Flow Hedge Adjustments [Member] | Foreign exchange contracts [Member] | Amounts Reclassified From Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]

Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]

Cost of Sales

^[1]

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]

Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]

Income applicable to common stock

^[1]

$ (750)

$ (563)

[1]	Amounts in parentheses denote expense to statement of income.
[2]	This component of accumulated other comprehensive income is included in the computation of net periodic benefit cost (see Note 8 for additional details).

Segment Reporting - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended
Segment Reporting - Additional Information (Detail)	Mar. 31, 2018 Segment
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of reportable segments	3

Segment Reporting - Operating Segment (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net Sales	$ 499,335	$ 468,269
Surfactants [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net Sales	358,940	322,603
Polymers [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net Sales	121,933	126,610
Specialty Products [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net Sales	$ 18,462	$ 19,056

Segment Reporting - Reconciliation of Segment Information to Consolidated Financial Statements (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Mar. 31, 2017

Business restructuring expenses (Note 15)

^[1]

$ 39,655

$ 46,230

(358)

(786)

Interest expense, net

(3,151)

(2,992)

Other, net

^[1],[2]

1,160

1,092

Operating Segments [Member]

37,664

44,330

Operating Segments [Member] | Surfactants [Member]

^[1]

56,795

61,082

Operating Segments [Member] | Polymers [Member]

^[1]

40,251

38,371

Operating Segments [Member] | Specialty Products [Member]

^[1]

16,894

21,425

Segment Reconciling Items [Member]

^[1]

(350)

1,286

Unallocated corporate expenses

^[1],[3]

$ (16,782)

$ (14,066)

[1]	The 2017 data has been immaterially changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2018 adoption of ASU No. 2017-7, Compensation-Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost.
[2]	The 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been immaterially changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2018 adoption of Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2017-7, Compensation –Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost.
[3]	Unallocated corporate expenses primarily comprise corporate administrative expenses (e.g., corporate finance, legal, human resources, information systems, deferred compensation and environmental remediation) that are not included in segment operating income and not used to evaluate segment performance.

Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Contract assets	$ 0
Contract liabilities	$ 0
Minimum [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Payment terms on sales of product	30 days
Maximum [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Payment terms on sales of product	60 days
Payment terms on sales of product, ordinary circumstances	75 days

Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Summary of Geographic Disaggregation of Net Sales (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	$ 499,335	$ 468,269
North America [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	308,693	291,542
Europe [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	123,803	109,947
Latin America [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	42,515	44,803
Asia [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	24,324	21,977
Surfactants [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	358,940	322,603
Surfactants [Member] \| North America [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	220,405	198,243
Surfactants [Member] \| Europe [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	78,371	63,423
Surfactants [Member] \| Latin America [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	41,688	43,505
Surfactants [Member] \| Asia [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	18,476	17,432
Polymers [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	121,933	126,610
Polymers [Member] \| North America [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	73,474	78,364
Polymers [Member] \| Europe [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	41,784	42,403
Polymers [Member] \| Latin America [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	827	1,298
Polymers [Member] \| Asia [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	5,848	4,545
Specialty Products [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	18,462	19,056
Specialty Products [Member] \| North America [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	14,814	14,935
Specialty Products [Member] \| Europe [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	$ 3,648	$ 4,121

Debt - Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Debt - Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 290,813	$ 290,799
Less current maturities	22,640	22,500
Long-term debt	268,173	268,299
Unsecured private placement 3.95% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 99,608	$ 99,654
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	3.95%	3.95%
Unsecured private placement 3.95% note [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2021	2021
Unsecured private placement 3.95% note [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2027	2027
Unsecured private placement 3.86% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 99,612	$ 99,657
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	3.86%	3.86%
Unsecured private placement 3.86% note [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2019	2019
Unsecured private placement 3.86% note [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2025	2025
Unsecured private placement 4.86% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 55,499	$ 55,523
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	4.86%	4.86%
Unsecured private placement 4.86% note [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2018	2018
Unsecured private placement 4.86% note [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2023	2023
Unsecured private placement 5.88% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 28,465	$ 28,476
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	5.88%	5.88%
Unsecured private placement 5.88% note [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2018	2016
Unsecured private placement 5.88% note [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2022	2022
Unsecured private placement 5.69% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 5,703	$ 5,703
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	5.69%	5.69%
Maturity Dates	2018	2018
Debt of foreign subsidiaries Unsecured bank debt, foreign currency [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 1,926	$ 1,786
Maturity Dates	2018	2018

Debt - Debt (Parenthetical) (Detail) - USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	$ 1,113,000	$ 987,000
Unsecured private placement 3.95% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	392,000	346,000
Unsecured private placement 3.86% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	388,000	343,000
Unsecured private placement 4.86% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	215,000	191,000
Unsecured private placement 5.88% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	106,000	95,000
Unsecured private placement 5.69% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	$ 12,000	$ 12,000

Debt - Additional Information (Detail) - Multi currency revolving credit agreement [Member] - USD ($)	Jan. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Jan. 29, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Revolving credit agreement term	5 years
Revolving credit agreement	$ 350,000,000		$ 125,000,000
Credit agreement secured date	Jan. 30, 2023
Letters of Credit Outstanding		$ 4,927,000
Debt Outstanding		0
Unused Revolving credit		345,073,000
Unrestricted retained earnings		$ 136,167,000		$ 190,495,000

The carrying value as of the balance sheet date of the current and noncurrent portions of long-term obligations drawn from a line of credit, which is a bank's commitment to make loans up to a specific amount. Examples of items that might be included in the application of this element may consist of letters of credit, standby letters of credit, and revolving credit arrangements, under which borrowings can be made up to a maximum amount as of any point in time conditional on satisfaction of specified terms before, as of and after the date of drawdowns on the line. Includes short-term obligations that would normally be classified as current liabilities but for which (a) postbalance sheet date issuance of a long term obligation to refinance the short term obligation on a long term basis, or (b) the enterprise has entered into a financing agreement that clearly permits the enterprise to refinance the short-term obligation on a long term basis and the following conditions are met (1) the agreement does not expire within 1 year and is not cancelable by the lender except for violation of an objectively determinable provision, (2) no violation exists at the BS date, and (3) the lender has entered into the financing agreement is expected to be financially capable of honoring the agreement.

Other Nonoperating Income Expense [Abstract]

Other, Net - Other Net in Consolidated Statements of Income (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Mar. 31, 2017

Foreign exchange gains (losses)

$ 1,053

$ (484)

Investment income

139

102

Realized and unrealized gains on investments

1,645

Net periodic benefit cost

(129)

(171)

Other, net

^[1],[2]

$ 1,160

$ 1,092

[1]	The 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been immaterially changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2018 adoption of Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2017-7, Compensation –Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost.
[2]	The 2017 data has been immaterially changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2018 adoption of ASU No. 2017-7, Compensation-Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost.

This item represents the net total realized and unrealized gain (loss) included in earnings for the period as a result of selling or holding marketable securities categorized as trading, available-for-sale, or held-to-maturity, including the unrealized holding gain (loss) of held-to-maturity securities transferred to the trading security category and the cumulative unrealized gain (loss) which was included in other comprehensive income (a separate component of shareholders' equity) for available-for-sale securities transferred to trading securities during the period. Additionally, this item would include any gains (losses) realized during the period from the sale of investments accounted for under the cost method of accounting and losses recognized for other than temporary impairments (OTTI) of the subject investments.