Ameriprise Financial Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. decreased its position in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 131,884 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 2,775 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc.’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $9,398,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 18,766.7% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 566 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 49.4% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 920 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Sensient Technologies

In other Sensient Technologies news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.45, for a total transaction of $159,210.60. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,946 shares in the company, valued at $758,445.70. This represents a 17.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SXT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 22nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th.

Sensient Technologies Price Performance

NYSE:SXT opened at $94.80 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.55, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.24 and a beta of 0.58. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 12 month low of $66.15 and a 12 month high of $98.27. The business’s 50-day moving average is $81.19 and its 200 day moving average is $76.75.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $392.33 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $387.70 million. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.93% and a net margin of 8.01%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.73 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is 54.30%.

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.