Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning.

Separately, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Sensient Technologies from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE SXT opened at $76.64 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $3.25 billion, a PE ratio of 35.65 and a beta of 0.76. 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 has a twelve month low of $52.90 and a twelve month high of $82.99. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.60.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 26th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.40% and a net margin of 6.16%. The company had revenue of $403.53 million during the quarter. Equities analysts anticipate that Sensient Technologies will post 2.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 5th will be given a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 5th. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.28%.

Insider Transactions at Sensient Technologies

In other Sensient Technologies news, insider Steven B. Morris sold 400 shares of Sensient Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.97, for a total transaction of $29,188.00. Following the transaction, 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 SEC, which is available at this link. In other Sensient Technologies news, Director Essie Whitelaw sold 600 shares of Sensient Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.84, for a total transaction of $45,504.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 21,826 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,655,283.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Steven B. Morris sold 400 shares of Sensient Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.97, for a total value of $29,188.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $297,863.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,037 shares of company stock valued at $153,245. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SXT. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,188,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 9.4% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,325,028 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $311,408,000 after buying an additional 457,446 shares in the last quarter. SG Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 182.3% in the first quarter. SG Capital Management LLC now owns 280,176 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $19,385,000 after buying an additional 180,933 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,161,451 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $76,657,000 after buying an additional 129,386 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,919,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

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.