Handelsbanken Fonder AB Trims Position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB decreased its position in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 89.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,137 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 104,027 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $801,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 1,486.7% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 714 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 669 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 32.2% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,087 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,558 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 30.9% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,222 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $130,000 after buying an additional 525 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 3.3 %

Shares of SXT stock opened at $72.71 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $68.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $63.57. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 12-month low of $52.90 and a 12-month high of $78.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.82 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 4.31, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 9th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.04). Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.40% and a net margin of 6.16%. The firm had revenue of $349.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $371.10 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 6th will be paid a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 3rd. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 76.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Sensient Technologies from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday.

Sensient Technologies Profile

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.