Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) Shares Sold by Champlain Investment Partners LLC

Champlain Investment Partners LLC lowered its stake in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 22.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,025,897 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 292,874 shares during the quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $82,297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SXT. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 5.2% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,680 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,076 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $748,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its stake in Sensient Technologies by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 11,664 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $865,000 after buying an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 6.1% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,355 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $510,000 after acquiring an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Stock Up 1.9 %

SXT stock opened at $78.67 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.64 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $77.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $76.31. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 12 month low of $55.02 and a 12 month high of $82.99. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.80. The firm had revenue of $392.61 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $390.64 million. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.41% and a net margin of 5.80%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.75 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 2.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th will be given a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is 78.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on SXT. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective 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 shares of Sensient Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th.

Insider Activity at Sensient Technologies

In other news, insider Michael C. Geraghty sold 4,000 shares of Sensient Technologies 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 sale, the insider now owns 36,518 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,938,968.64. The trade was a 9.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.