Franklin Resources Inc. Grows Position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 116.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,477 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,015 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $533,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,757,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $7,270,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 100.9% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 200,726 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $14,304,000 after acquiring an additional 100,788 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,483,000. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 309.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 77,260 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $6,197,000 after acquiring an additional 58,386 shares during the period. 90.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sensient Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SXT opened at $74.55 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $3.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.36 and a beta of 0.63. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $72.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $74.74. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 52 week low of $66.15 and a 52 week high of $82.99.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $375.10 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.51 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com cut Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a 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.