Alliancebernstein L.P. Decreases Holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Alliancebernstein L.P. reduced its stake in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,687 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 2,760 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.11% of Sensient Technologies worth $3,469,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SXT. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at about $45,757,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Sensient Technologies by 100.9% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 200,726 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $14,304,000 after buying an additional 100,788 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 6,912 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $493,000 after buying an additional 374 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,064,724 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $360,912,000 after acquiring an additional 36,406 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $556,000. 90.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of SXT stock opened at $74.74 on Tuesday. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 1 year low of $66.15 and a 1 year high of $82.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.17 billion, a PE ratio of 25.42 and a beta of 0.63. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $72.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $74.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 3.55.

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

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 22nd.

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.