Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) Short Interest Update

Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 485,600 shares, a decline of 21.2% from the January 31st total of 616,000 shares. Currently, 1.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 196,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of SXT traded up $0.41 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $69.12. 46,064 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 210,328. The stock has a market cap of $2.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.46 and a beta of 0.77. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $72.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $75.41. Sensient Technologies has a 1 year low of $65.83 and a 1 year high of $82.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 3.55.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $376.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $375.10 million. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 11.93%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.51 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Sensient Technologies will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is 55.78%.

Institutional Trading of Sensient Technologies

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Sensient Technologies by 22.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 99,938 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $8,017,000 after purchasing an additional 18,235 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 1.2% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 590,149 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $47,342,000 after purchasing an additional 7,235 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the third quarter worth $635,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 215,895 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $15,385,000 after buying an additional 6,984 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in Sensient Technologies by 34.3% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 24,449 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,742,000 after buying an additional 6,247 shares in the last quarter. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.