Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 5,547 Shares of Sensient Technologies Corporation $SXT

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its position in Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT) by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 231,662 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 5,547 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.55% of Sensient Technologies worth $21,741,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in SXT. Private Trust Co. NA bought a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the second quarter worth about $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 181.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 475 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Gables Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $59,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 19.3% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 878 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 20.8% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 899 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Price Performance

Sensient Technologies stock opened at $97.43 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $95.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $100.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 4.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market cap of $4.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.80 and a beta of 0.58. Sensient Technologies Corporation has a 12-month low of $67.61 and a 12-month high of $121.54.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is 50.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SXT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Sensient Technologies to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sensient Technologies in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Essie Whitelaw sold 3,985 shares of Sensient Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.02, for a total transaction of $378,654.70. Following the transaction, the director owned 17,128 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,627,502.56. This trade represents a 18.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Company Profile

Sensient Technologies Corporation is a global leader in the manufacture and supply of colors, flavors and fragrances for a broad range of end-markets. The company develops and produces ingredients that enhance the appearance, taste and scent of products in the food, beverage, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, personal care and household sectors. Its portfolio includes natural and synthetic colorants, botanical and artificial flavor systems, fragrance compounds and specialty chemical offerings tailored to customer specifications.

Within its flavor and fragrance division, Sensient provides custom formulations for sweet, savory and umami taste profiles along with fragrance blends for personal care and cosmetic applications.