Van ECK Associates Corp Sells 944 Shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Van ECK Associates Corp cut its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 25.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,736 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 944 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SXT. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at $203,000. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 16.7% in the 1st quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 200,888 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $13,899,000 after acquiring an additional 28,788 shares during the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 48.6% in the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 17,864 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,368,000 after acquiring an additional 5,845 shares during the last quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC now owns 74,226 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $5,136,000 after acquiring an additional 3,077 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chesapeake Capital Corp IL bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at $441,000. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE SXT opened at $79.15 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.87 and a beta of 0.76. Sensient Technologies Co. has a twelve month low of $55.02 and a twelve month high of $82.99. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $76.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 3.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80. The business had revenue of $392.61 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $390.64 million. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.41% and a net margin of 5.80%. Sensient Technologies’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.75 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 2.82 EPS for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.07%. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 78.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sensient Technologies news, insider Michael C. Geraghty sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.48, for a total transaction of $321,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 36,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,938,968.64. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Sensient Technologies from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. StockNews.com upgraded Sensient Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th.

Sensient Technologies 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.