Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Decreases Holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 18.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,500 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 1,500 shares during the quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $482,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of SXT. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Sensient Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at $129,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the 1st quarter worth $203,000. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the 1st quarter worth $208,000. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC acquired a new position in Sensient Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth $214,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gebhardt Deborah Mckeithan sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.08, for a total transaction of $142,160.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 15,162 shares in the company, valued at $1,077,714.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Sensient Technologies from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of Sensient Technologies stock opened at $76.63 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.25 billion, a PE ratio of 35.74 and a beta of 0.75. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 1 year low of $52.90 and a 1 year high of $82.99. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $75.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $74.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 4.16.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 26th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.25% and a net margin of 5.83%. The company had revenue of $403.53 million for the quarter. Equities analysts forecast that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 2.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 5th were issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 5th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.28%.

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.