Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) Director Mario Ferruzzi Sells 1,668 Shares

Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of Sensient Technologies stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.45, for a total value of $159,210.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $758,445.70. This trade represents a 17.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Sensient Technologies Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE:SXT opened at $91.94 on Thursday. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 12 month low of $66.15 and a 12 month high of $98.27. The company has a current ratio of 3.55, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.27 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $79.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $76.27.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.04. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.93% and a net margin of 8.01%. The company had revenue of $392.33 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $387.70 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.73 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 54.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on SXT. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 22nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sensient Technologies

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SXT. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 132.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 435 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 18,766.7% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 566 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $65,000. 90.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Sensient Technologies

Sensient Technologies Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets colors, flavors, and other specialty ingredients in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and Africa. The company offers flavor-delivery systems, and compounded and blended products; ingredient products, such as essential oils, natural and synthetic flavors, and natural extracts; and chili powder, paprika, and chili pepper, as well as dehydrated vegetables comprising parsley, celery, and spinach to the food, beverage, and personal care industries.