Handelsbanken Fonder AB trimmed its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 27.9% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 460,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 177,700 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $32,467,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 11.6% during the 1st quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 60,844 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $4,295,000 after purchasing an additional 6,347 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at $278,000. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 122.1% during the 1st quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 33,216 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,344,000 after purchasing an additional 18,262 shares in the last quarter. A.R.T. Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 19.4% during the 1st quarter. A.R.T. Advisors LLC now owns 41,900 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,957,000 after purchasing an additional 6,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Foundation Advisors acquired a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at $489,000. 93.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Get Sensient Technologies alerts:A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Investment Research raised Sensient Technologies from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 12th. ValuEngine cut Sensient Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $87.58.
In other news, Director Gebhardt Deborah Mckeithan bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $68.19 per share, with a total value of $68,190.00. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
SXT stock opened at $71.27 on Tuesday. Sensient Technologies Co. has a fifty-two week low of $65.56 and a fifty-two week high of $84.98. The firm has a market cap of $3.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 3.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.
Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $356.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $351.31 million. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.32% and a return on equity of 17.67%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.82 earnings per share. equities research analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 11th were paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 10th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.60%.
Sensient Technologies Profile
Sensient Technologies Corporation develops, manufactures, and supplies colors, flavors, and fragrances in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Flavors & Fragrances Group, Color Group, and Asia Pacific Group. The company offers flavor-delivery systems, and compounded and blended products; ingredient products, such as essential oils, natural and synthetic flavors, natural extracts, and aroma chemicals; fragrance products; and chili powder, paprika, and chili pepper, as well as dehydrated vegetables comprising parsley, celery, and spinach to the food, beverage, personal care, and household-products industries.
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