AlphaQuest LLC Sells 4,343 Shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

AlphaQuest LLC lowered its position in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 22.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,974 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 4,343 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $1,067,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 6.1% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,355 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $510,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 5.3% in the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 26,377 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,116,000 after purchasing an additional 1,332 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP bought a new stake in Sensient Technologies in the third quarter valued at about $345,000. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL increased its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 18.1% in the third quarter. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL now owns 8,143 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $649,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 66.7% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 58,643 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $4,704,000 after purchasing an additional 23,474 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com cut Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

Sensient Technologies Stock Up 0.5 %

SXT stock opened at $73.33 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 3.55 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.94 and a beta of 0.71. The business has a 50-day moving average of $72.49 and a 200-day moving average of $75.34. Sensient Technologies Co. has a fifty-two week low of $66.14 and a fifty-two week high of $82.99.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.01. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.93% and a net margin of 8.01%. The firm had revenue of $376.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $375.10 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.51 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were paid a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 55.78%.

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.