Barclays PLC Buys 19,165 Shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 61.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,144 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,165 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $3,566,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 0.3% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,795,260 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $402,561,000 after acquiring an additional 13,571 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 1.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,791,278 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $332,227,000 after buying an additional 62,855 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 0.7% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,403,503 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $107,452,000 after buying an additional 9,397 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 47.4% during the first quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,036,655 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $79,366,000 after buying an additional 333,255 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 0.7% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 944,540 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $72,311,000 after buying an additional 6,551 shares during the period. 88.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider E. Craig Mitchell sold 2,608 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.39, for a total value of $149,673.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,060,395.03. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Sensient Technologies in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Robert W. Baird raised Sensient Technologies from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 17th.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SXT opened at $57.57 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $58.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.26. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 52 week low of $52.90 and a 52 week high of $79.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 4.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a PE ratio of 18.88 and a beta of 0.83.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 20th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.75. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 12.22% and a net margin of 8.82%. The firm had revenue of $363.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $371.80 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 6th will be given a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 3rd. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is 53.77%.

Sensient Technologies Company Profile

Sensient Technologies Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets colors, flavors, and other specialty ingredients in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Flavors & Extracts Group, Color Group, and Asia Pacific Group. The Flavors & Extracts Group segment 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.