Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) Upgraded to “Buy” at StockNews.com

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Friday.

Sensient Technologies Price Performance

Shares of Sensient Technologies stock opened at $73.23 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 3.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company has a market cap of $3.10 billion, a PE ratio of 24.91 and a beta of 0.71. The business has a 50 day moving average of $72.70 and a 200 day moving average of $75.28. Sensient Technologies has a 52 week low of $66.15 and a 52 week high of $82.99.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $376.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $375.10 million. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.93% and a net margin of 8.01%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.51 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Sensient Technologies will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sensient Technologies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SXT. Freemont Capital Pte Ltd bought a new position in Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $449,288,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,064,724 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $360,912,000 after purchasing an additional 36,406 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,257,033 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $160,836,000 after purchasing an additional 25,230 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 3.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,694,114 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $135,902,000 after purchasing an additional 60,622 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,223,728 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $87,203,000 after purchasing an additional 26,119 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

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.