Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) was the target of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 712,900 shares, a growth of 20.3% from the March 15th total of 592,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 285,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.5 days. Approximately 1.7% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 4.8% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,462 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $270,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Sensient Technologies by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,408 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $314,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP grew its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 4,521 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $322,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 132.6% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 435 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 3,017 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the period. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 4.9 %

NYSE:SXT opened at $78.40 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $3.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.67 and a beta of 0.63. Sensient Technologies has a twelve month low of $66.15 and a twelve month high of $82.99. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $72.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $74.68. 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 (NYSE:SXT) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.51 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Sensient Technologies will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Company 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.