Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. Has $1.16 Million Position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 25.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 16,334 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,298 shares during the quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $1,164,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quarry LP bought a new position in Sensient Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $72,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 2,753.7% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,912 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 1,845 shares during the period. Paloma Partners Management Co acquired a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $210,000. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC bought a new stake in Sensient Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at $214,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SXT opened at $67.29 on Monday. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 12-month low of $55.02 and a 12-month high of $82.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $75.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $76.02. The firm has a market cap of $2.85 billion, a PE ratio of 32.20 and a beta of 0.77. 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 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80. The firm had revenue of $392.61 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $390.64 million. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.41% and a net margin of 5.80%. The company’s revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.75 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 2.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th were given a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 78.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Michael C. Geraghty sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were 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 owns 36,518 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,938,968.64. This represents a 9.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Sensient Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th.

Sensient Technologies Company 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.