Ameriprise Financial Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. decreased its position in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 131,884 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 2,775 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 0.31% of Sensient Technologies worth $9,398,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Algert Global LLC boosted its stake in Sensient Technologies by 55.2% during the 4th quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 99,137 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $7,065,000 after purchasing an additional 35,262 shares during the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at $539,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 569,652 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $40,593,000 after buying an additional 52,654 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL boosted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 4,612 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $329,000 after acquiring an additional 833 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:SXT opened at $94.80 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.24 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 3.55. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $81.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.75. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 52-week low of $66.15 and a 52-week high of $98.27.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $392.33 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $387.70 million. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.93% and a net margin of 8.01%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.73 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.30%.

Insider Transactions at Sensient Technologies

In other news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of Sensient Technologies stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.45, for a total transaction of $159,210.60. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $758,445.70. The trade was a 17.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on SXT. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 22nd. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 28th.

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.