Strs Ohio Sells 200 Shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Strs Ohio lessened its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 22.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 700 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $46,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in SXT. Winder Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in Sensient Technologies in the third quarter worth $368,711,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,325,028 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $311,408,000 after acquiring an additional 457,446 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in Sensient Technologies by 21.9% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,688,101 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $111,617,000 after acquiring an additional 303,612 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 40.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 225,752 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $13,202,000 after purchasing an additional 65,300 shares during the period. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies during the third quarter valued at $3,054,000. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of SXT stock opened at $73.64 on Thursday. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $52.90 and a 12-month high of $78.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.27 and a beta of 0.79. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $68.43 and its 200 day moving average is $63.71.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last announced its earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $371.10 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.64 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 6th will be given a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 3rd. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is 76.28%.

Insider Transactions at Sensient Technologies

In other Sensient Technologies news, insider Steven B. Morris sold 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.97, for a total transaction of $29,188.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $297,863.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Sensient Technologies Company 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.