Bailard Inc. Acquires Shares of 4,292 Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Bailard Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 4,292 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $306,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Sensient Technologies by 4.8% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,462 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $270,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP boosted its stake in Sensient Technologies by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 4,521 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $322,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the period. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 6.1% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,355 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $510,000 after buying an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 5,617 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares during the period. 90.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Sensient Technologies Stock Up 3.0 %

SXT opened at $70.79 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $72.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $75.38. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 12 month low of $65.83 and a 12 month high of $82.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.08 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 3.55 and a quick ratio of 1.34.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.01. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 11.93%. The business had revenue of $376.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $375.10 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.51 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.78%.

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.