Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Nature of Operations

Nature of Operations

Stepan Company (the Company) operations consist predominantly of the production and sale of specialty and intermediate chemicals, which are sold to other manufacturers for use in a variety of end products. Principal markets for all products are manufacturers of cleaning and washing compounds (including detergents, shampoos, fabric softeners, toothpastes and household cleaners), paints, cosmetics, food, beverages, nutritional supplements, agricultural products, plastics, furniture, automotive equipment, insulation and refrigeration.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires Company management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Principles of Consolidation

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and all wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries in which the Company exercises controlling influence. The equity method is used to account for investments in which the Company exercises significant but noncontrolling influence. Intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.

The Company is a partner in two joint ventures: Nanjing Stepan Jinling Chemical Limited Liability Company (Stepan China) in Nanjing, China and TIORCO, LLC in Denver, Colorado. Stepan China manufactures aromatic polyester polyols for China’s domestic market. The Company has an 80 percent ownership interest in the joint venture and exercises controlling influence. Therefore, Stepan China’s accounts are included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements, and the joint venture partner’s interests in Stepan China’s income and net assets are reported in the noncontrolling interest lines of the consolidated statements of income and balance sheets, respectively.

TIORCO, LLC markets chemical solutions for increased production of crude oil and natural gas from existing fields. The joint venture is equally owned and controlled by the Company and Nalco Company (now a part of Ecolab Inc.). The Company’s investment in TIORCO, LLC is accounted for using the equity method and is included in the other non-current assets line on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company’s share of TIORCO, LLC’s net earnings is included in the loss from equity in joint ventures line of the consolidated statements of income.

Noncontrolling Interests

Noncontrolling Interests

Noncontrolling interests are reported in the consolidated balance sheets as a component of equity, separate from Company equity. In the consolidated statements of income, net income is reported on a consolidated basis that includes amounts attributable to the Company and noncontrolling interests.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with purchased maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

At December 31, 2012, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents totaled $76.9 million, including $25.6 million in two separate U.S. money market funds, each of which was rated AAA by Standard and Poor’s and Aaa by Moody’s. Cash in U.S. demand deposit accounts totaled $7.3 million and cash of the Company’s non-U.S. subsidiaries held outside the U.S. totaled $44.0 million as of December 31, 2012.

Receivables and Credit Risk

Receivables and Credit Risk

Receivables are stated net of allowances for doubtful accounts and other allowances and primarily include trade receivables, as well as nontrade receivables from suppliers, governmental tax agencies and others.

The Company is exposed to credit risk on accounts receivable balances. This risk is mitigated by the Company’s large, diverse customer base, which is dispersed over various geographic regions and industrial sectors. No single customer comprised more than 10 percent of the Company’s consolidated net sales in 2012, 2011 or 2010.

The Company maintains allowances for potential credit losses. Specific customer allowances are recorded when a review of customer creditworthiness and current economic conditions indicate that collection is doubtful. In addition, the Company maintains a general allowance as a percentage of total trade receivables. The general allowance percentage is periodically reviewed and adjusted based on historical bad debt losses of the Company.

The Company also maintains other allowances for active customers that occur in the normal course of business. Such allowances are based on historical averages and trade receivable levels.

Inventories

Inventories

Inventories are valued at cost, which is not in excess of market value, and include material, labor and plant overhead costs. The last-in, first-out (LIFO) method is used to determine the cost of the Company’s U.S. inventories. The first-in, first-out (FIFO) method is used for all other inventories. Inventories priced at LIFO as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, accounted for 59 and 66 percent of total inventories, respectively.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, Plant and Equipment

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment is provided on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Lives used for calculating depreciation are generally 30 years for buildings and 15 years for building improvements. For assets classified as machinery and equipment, lives generally used for calculating depreciation expense range from 10 to 15 years for manufacturing equipment, five to 10 years for furniture and fixtures, three to five years for vehicles and three to 10 years for computer equipment and software. Manufacturing of chemicals is capital intensive with over 90 percent of the assets included in machinery and equipment representing manufacturing equipment. Major renewals and betterments are capitalized in the property accounts, while maintenance and repairs ($45,072,000, $43,128,000, and $36,912,000 in 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively), which do not renew or extend the life of the respective assets, are charged to operations as incurred. Land is not depreciated. The cost of property retired or sold and the related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in income.

Included in the computer equipment and software component of machinery and equipment are costs related to the acquisition and development of internal-use software. Capitalized costs include external direct costs of materials and services consumed in obtaining and developing the software. For development projects where major internal resources are committed, payroll and payroll-related costs incurred during the application development phase of the project are also capitalized. The capitalized costs are amortized over the useful lives of the software, which are generally three to 10 years. Costs incurred in the preliminary project phase are expensed.

Interest charges on borrowings applicable to major construction projects are capitalized.

Property, plant and equipment assets are tested for impairment when events indicate that impairment may have occurred.

Fair Value Measurement

Fair Value Measurements

U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) define fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Furthermore, GAAP establishes a framework, in the form of a three-level hierarchy, for measuring fair value that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The following describes the hierarchy levels:

Level 1 - quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities.

Level 2 - inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are directly or indirectly observable for the asset or liability, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.

Level 3 - unobservable inputs which reflect the entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants use in pricing the assets and liabilities.

The Company applies the fair value measurement provisions of GAAP to any of its financial assets and liabilities that are carried at fair value on the consolidated balance sheets (see Note 2), its outstanding debt for disclosure purposes (also Note 6) and its pension plan assets (see Note 13).

The Company also applies the fair value measurement requirements to nonrecurring fair value measurements of nonfinancial assets and liabilities such as goodwill, intangible assets and other long-lived assets recorded in conjunction with business combinations and as part of impairment reviews for goodwill and long-lived assets.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition

Revenue is recognized upon shipment of goods to customers, at which time title and risk of loss pass to the customer. For arrangements where the Company consigns product to a customer location, revenue is recognized when the customer uses the inventory. The Company records shipping and handling billed to a customer in a sales transaction as revenue. Costs incurred for shipping and handling are reported in cost of sales. Volume discounts due customers are estimated and recorded in the same period as the sales to which the discounts relate and reported as reductions of revenue in the consolidated statements of income.

Cost of Sales

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales comprises raw material costs, including inbound freight expense to deliver the raw materials, manufacturing plant labor expenses and various manufacturing overhead expenses, which include utility, maintenance, operating supply, amortization and manufacturing asset depreciation expenses. Cost of sales also includes outbound freight expenses, purchasing and receiving costs, quality assurance expenses, inter-plant transfer costs and warehouse expenses.

Operating Expenses

Operating Expenses

Selling expense comprises salary and the related fringe benefit expenses for marketing and sales personnel and operating costs, such as outside agent commissions, automobile rental and travel-related expenses, which support the sales and marketing functions. Bad debt charges and any depreciation expenses related to marketing assets (e.g., computers) are also classified as marketing expense.

Administrative expense comprises salary and the related fringe benefit expenses and operating costs for the Company’s various administrative functions, which include information services, finance, legal, and human resources. Compensation expense related to the Company’s deferred compensation plans and legal and environmental remediation expenses are also classified as administrative expense.

The Company’s research and development costs are expensed as incurred. These expenses are aimed at discovery and commercialization of new knowledge with the intent that such effort will be useful in developing a new product or in bringing about a significant improvement to an existing product or process. Total research and development expenses were $28,032,000, $25,128,000 and $24,218,000 in 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The remainder of research, development and technical service expenses reflected on the consolidated statements of income relates to technical services, which include routine product testing, quality control and sales support service.

Environmental Expenditures

Environmental Expenditures

Environmental expenditures that relate to current operations are expensed in cost of sales or capitalized as appropriate. Expenditures that mitigate or prevent environmental contamination and that benefit future operations are capitalized. Capitalized expenditures are depreciated generally utilizing a 10 year life. Expenditures that relate to an existing condition caused by past operations, and which do not contribute to current or future revenue generation, are expensed to administrative expense. Liabilities are recorded when environmental assessments and/or remedial efforts are probable and the cost or range of possible costs can be reasonably estimated. When no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount, the minimum is accrued. Some of the factors on which the Company bases its estimates include information provided by feasibility studies, potentially responsible party negotiations and the development of remedial action plans. Because reported liabilities are recorded based on estimates, actual amounts could significantly differ from those estimates. Legal costs related to environmental matters are expensed as incurred (see Note 16 for environmental contingencies).

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Intangible assets include patents, agreements not to compete, trademarks, customer lists, technological and manufacturing know-how and goodwill, all of which were acquired as part of business or product line acquisitions. The Company separately identifies intangible assets other than goodwill and amortizes them in accordance with their useful lives, generally ranging from five to 15 years. Goodwill is not amortized. Goodwill is tested for impairment at least annually or more frequently if an event indicates that impairment may have occurred. Finite life intangible assets are tested for impairment when events indicate that impairment may have occurred. For more details see Note 4.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

The provision for income taxes is determined using the asset and liability method, under which deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets or liabilities are computed using the currently enacted tax rates that apply to taxable income in effect for the years in which those tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for changes in tax rates or laws, and the effects of the changes are recorded in income in the period of enactment. Valuation allowances are recorded to reduce deferred tax assets when the Company determines that it is more likely than not that a tax benefit will not be realized.

The Company recognizes the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. If the tax position meets the more-likely-than-not threshold, the tax benefit recognized in the consolidated financial statements is measured at the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized upon effective settlement. Unrecognized tax benefits, which are differences between the tax position taken on a tax return and the amounts recognized in the financial statements, are recorded either as an increase to a tax liability or as a decrease to an income tax receivable. The Company includes estimated interest and penalty amounts related to the unrecognized tax benefits in the tax provision.

See Note 9 for detailed information about income taxes.

Translation of Foreign Currencies

Translation of Foreign Currencies

Assets and liabilities of consolidated foreign subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars at exchange rates in effect at year end. The resulting translation adjustments are included in stockholders’ equity. Revenues and expenses for the consolidated foreign subsidiaries are translated at average exchange rates prevailing during the year. Gains or losses on foreign currency transactions are reflected in the other, net caption of the consolidated statements of income.

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company grants stock options, performance stock awards and stock appreciation rights (SARs) to certain employees under its incentive compensation plans. The Company calculates the fair values of stock options, performance stock awards and SARs on the date such instruments are granted. The fair values of the stock option and performance stock awards are then recognized as compensation expense over the vesting periods of the instruments. SARs, which were granted for the first time in 2012, are cash-settled and, therefore, accounted for as liabilities that must be re-measured at fair value at the end of each reporting period. Compensation expense for each reporting period is based on the period-to-period change (or portion of the change, depending on the proportion of the vesting period that has been completed at the reporting date) in the fair value of the SARs. See Note 11 for detailed information about the Company’s stock-based compensation.

Earnings Per Share

Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per share amounts are computed based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding. Net income used in computing basic earnings per share is net income attributable to the Company reduced by dividends paid to preferred stockholders. Diluted earnings per share amounts are based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding plus the increased number of common shares that would be outstanding assuming the exercise of certain outstanding stock options (under the treasury stock method), the conversion of the convertible preferred stock (when such conversion would have the effect of reducing earnings per share), and contingent stock awards that are part of the Company’s incentive stock-based compensation program (see Note 11). All share and per share data reflect the two-for-one common stock split that was effective December 14, 2012. See Note 18 for detailed information about the Company’s earnings per share calculations.

Comprehensive Income and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive Income and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income includes net income and all other non-owner changes in equity that are not reported in net income. Comprehensive income is disclosed in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

Segment Reporting

Segment Reporting

The Company reports financial and descriptive information about its reportable operating segments. Operating segments are components of the Company that have separate financial information that is regularly evaluated by the chief operating decision maker to assess segment performance and allocate resources. The Company discloses segment revenue, operating income, assets, capital expenditures and depreciation and amortization expenses. Enterprise-wide financial information about the geographic locations in which the Company earns revenues and holds assets is also disclosed (see Note 17).

Derivative Instruments

Derivative Instruments

Derivative instruments are recognized on the consolidated balance sheets as either an asset or a liability measured at fair value. For derivative instruments that are not designated as hedging instruments, changes in the fair values of the derivative instruments are recognized currently in earnings. For derivative instruments designated as hedging instruments, depending on the nature of the hedge, changes in the fair values of the derivative instruments are either offset in earnings against changes in the fair values of the hedged items or recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income until the hedged transaction is recognized in earnings. At the time a hedging relationship is designated, the Company establishes the method it will use for assessing the effectiveness of the hedge and the measurement approach for determining the ineffective aspect of the hedge. The Company held derivative instruments designated as hedges during 2012 and 2011. Company policy prohibits the use of derivative instruments for trading or speculative purposes. See Note 3 for further information regarding the Company’s use of derivatives.

At December 31, 2012, the Company held open forward purchase contracts for the purchase of 1.1 million dekatherms of natural gas in 2013 at a cost of $4,224,000 and contracts to purchase approximately 14,000 megawatt hours of electricity in 2013 at a cost of $956,000. The Company uses forward purchase contracts to minimize its exposure to volatile natural gas and electric prices. Because the Company anticipates taking delivery of the gas and electricity for use in its operations, the contracts qualify for the normal purchase exception election provided under the accounting rules for derivative instruments. The Company has elected the exceptions for such contracts. As a result, the contracts are not accounted for as derivative instruments. The costs of the natural gas and electricity are charged to expense at the time the gas and electricity are delivered and used.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2011-04, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs. The amendments result in common fair value measurement and disclosure requirements in U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs), and do not require additional fair value measurements and are not intended to establish valuation standards or affect valuation practices. The amendments in this update are effective during interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. Adoption of the new requirement did not have an effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-05, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Presentation of Comprehensive Income. In this update, the FASB eliminated the option to present components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholders’ equity. The amendments require that all non-owner changes in equity be presented either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within these years, beginning after December 15, 2011. This date does not apply to the requirement for the presentation of reclassifications of items out of other comprehensive income to net income. This requirement has been deferred indefinitely by ASU No. 2011-12, Deferral of the Effective Date for Amendments to the Presentation of Reclassifications of Items Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income in Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-05. Although adoption of the new requirement had an effect on the Company’s presentation of comprehensive income (the Company chose the two separate but consecutive statement format), it did not have an effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In September 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-08, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Testing Goodwill for Impairment, which amends the guidance on testing goodwill for impairment. The new standard provides entities that are testing goodwill for impairment the option of performing a qualitative assessment before calculating the fair value of the reporting unit (i.e., step 1 of the goodwill impairment test). If an entity determines, on the basis of the qualitative assessment, that the fair value of the reporting unit is more likely than not (i.e., a likelihood of greater than 50 percent) less than the reporting unit’s carrying amount, the traditional two-step impairment test would be required. The ASU does not change how goodwill is calculated or assigned to reporting units, nor does it revise the requirement to test goodwill annually for impairment. Furthermore, the ASU does not amend the requirement to test goodwill for impairment between annual tests if events or circumstances warrant. The amendments are effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011. The Company did not employ the qualitative assessment made available by this update for the Company’s 2012 annual goodwill impairment testing. Application of the option provided in this update did not have an effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In December 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-11, Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities. Also, in January 2013, the FASB issued ASU No. 2013-01, Clarifying the Scope of Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities. These updates create new disclosure requirements about the nature of an entity’s rights of setoff and related arrangements associated with its derivatives, repurchase agreements and securities lending transactions. Entities are required to apply the new disclosure requirements for annual and interim reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013. Retrospective application is required. Adoption of the new requirements will not have an effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In July 2012, the FASB issued ASU No. 2012-02, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Testing Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets for Impairment. The amendments in this update aim to simplify the impairment test for indefinite-lived intangible assets by permitting an entity the option to first to assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not (defined as having a likelihood of more than 50 percent) that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired as a basis for determining whether the quantitative impairment test included in Accounting Standards Codification Subtopic 350-30, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other – General Intangibles Other than Goodwill must be performed. The amendment is effective for annual and interim impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after September 15, 2012. The Company currently has no indefinite-lived intangible assets other than goodwill reported on its consolidated balance sheet. As such, adoption of this amendment is not expected to have an effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.