Brandes Investment Partners LP Sells 5,273 Shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Brandes Investment Partners LP decreased its holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 31.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,387 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 5,273 shares during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $811,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Swiss National Bank increased its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 70,800 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $5,045,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 25.1% in the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 28,848 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,056,000 after purchasing an additional 5,789 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 30,329 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,161,000 after purchasing an additional 848 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $7,270,000. Finally, Amundi increased its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 187.3% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 21,983 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,550,000 after purchasing an additional 14,331 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com raised Sensient Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE SXT opened at $73.23 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 3.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Sensient Technologies Co. has a twelve month low of $66.15 and a twelve month high of $82.99. The company has a market cap of $3.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.91 and a beta of 0.71. The business’s fifty day moving average is $72.70 and its 200 day moving average is $75.28.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.01. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.93% and a net margin of 8.01%. The company had revenue of $376.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $375.10 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. Sensient Technologies’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 55.78%.

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.