Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,119,341 shares, a drop of 13.9% from the March 15th total of 1,299,514 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 330,355 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.4 days. Approximately 2.7% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sensient Technologies in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research lowered Sensient Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on Sensient Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $115.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sensient Technologies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the first quarter worth $77,955,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 478,262 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $44,933,000 after acquiring an additional 65,244 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $178,000. SummitTX Capital L.P. increased its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. now owns 17,798 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,672,000 after acquiring an additional 660 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Potrero Capital Research LLC purchased a new stake in Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter worth $2,575,000. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Price Performance

SXT stock traded up $6.18 during trading on Friday, reaching $101.51. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 152,685 shares, compared to its average volume of 301,518. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 4.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company’s fifty day moving average is $92.40 and its 200-day moving average is $93.93. The company has a market capitalization of $4.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.12 and a beta of 0.62. Sensient Technologies has a 1 year low of $72.60 and a 1 year high of $121.54.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 13th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.06). Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 12.82%. The business had revenue of $393.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $395.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.70 earnings per share. Sensient Technologies’s revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sensient Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.800 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Sensient Technologies will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Company Profile

Sensient Technologies Corporation is a global leader in the manufacture and supply of colors, flavors and fragrances for a broad range of end-markets. The company develops and produces ingredients that enhance the appearance, taste and scent of products in the food, beverage, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, personal care and household sectors. Its portfolio includes natural and synthetic colorants, botanical and artificial flavor systems, fragrance compounds and specialty chemical offerings tailored to customer specifications.

Within its flavor and fragrance division, Sensient provides custom formulations for sweet, savory and umami taste profiles along with fragrance blends for personal care and cosmetic applications.