Two Sigma Investments LP Sells 18,741 Shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Two Sigma Investments LP lessened its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 49.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,431 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 18,741 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $1,385,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Freemont Capital Pte Ltd bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $449,288,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,064,724 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $360,912,000 after acquiring an additional 36,406 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,257,033 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $160,836,000 after acquiring an additional 25,230 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,223,728 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $87,203,000 after acquiring an additional 26,119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Snyder Capital Management L P raised its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Snyder Capital Management L P now owns 667,175 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $47,543,000 after acquiring an additional 48,146 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.45, for a total transaction of $159,210.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $758,445.70. This represents a 17.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on SXT shares. Robert W. Baird upped 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. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 22nd.

Sensient Technologies Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE:SXT opened at $93.99 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $3.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.97 and a beta of 0.56. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 52 week low of $66.15 and a 52 week high of $98.27. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $85.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.84.

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

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.30%.

About Sensient Technologies

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.