TheStreet upgraded shares of Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a report released on Tuesday, TheStreetRatingsTable reports.
A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on SXT. Zacks Investment Research raised Sensient Technologies from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $80.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Saturday, May 4th. Seaport Global Securities began coverage on Sensient Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 21st. They issued a buy rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. The company currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $75.00.
Shares of NYSE:SXT opened at $73.11 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.10 billion, a PE ratio of 20.59 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 4.18. Sensient Technologies has a 1 year low of $51.93 and a 1 year high of $78.40.
Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $347.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $348.80 million. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 17.10% and a net margin of 11.03%. The firm’s revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.89 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Sensient Technologies will post 3.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th were paid a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 9th. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 40.56%.
In other news, VP Thierry Hoang sold 357 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.37, for a total value of $25,836.09. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link . 0.75% of the stock is owned by insiders.
A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SXT. Atlanta Capital Management Co. L L C raised its stake in Sensient Technologies by 169.0% during the 4th quarter. Atlanta Capital Management Co. L L C now owns 3,045,995 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $170,119,000 after buying an additional 1,913,638 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Sensient Technologies by 3,829.5% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 443,911 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $24,792,000 after buying an additional 432,614 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $18,749,000. Nordea Investment Management AB acquired a new position in Sensient Technologies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $13,668,000. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in Sensient Technologies by 16,513.9% during the 1st quarter. FMR LLC now owns 172,452 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $11,691,000 after buying an additional 171,414 shares during the period. 99.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Sensient Technologies
Sensient Technologies Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets colors, flavors, and fragrances in North America, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Flavors & Fragrances Group, Color Group, and Asia Pacific Group.
