Principal Financial Group Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 208,911 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 1,524 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.49% of Sensient Technologies worth $16,759,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the first quarter worth $203,000. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its position 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 worth $13,899,000 after buying an additional 28,788 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System grew its stake in 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. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at about $441,000. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at about $736,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Trading Down 1.5 %

Sensient Technologies stock opened at $78.00 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $77.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $76.17. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 52 week low of $55.02 and a 52 week high of $82.99. The stock has a market cap of $3.30 billion, a PE ratio of 37.32 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 3.74, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, hitting 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 net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 11.41%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.75 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 2.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 4th. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SXT has been the topic of several research reports. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Sensient Technologies from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. StockNews.com raised Sensient Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th.

Insider Transactions at Sensient Technologies

In other Sensient Technologies news, insider Michael C. Geraghty sold 4,000 shares of Sensient Technologies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.48, for a total value of $321,920.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 36,518 shares in the company, valued at $2,938,968.64. This trade represents a 9.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

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.