Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT) Short Interest Up 14.7% in February

Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 1,233,008 shares, an increase of 14.7% from the February 12th total of 1,074,858 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 365,786 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days. Currently, 2.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Currently, 2.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 365,786 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SXT. Zacks Research lowered shares of Sensient Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sensient Technologies in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.00.

Sensient Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SXT traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $88.58. 67,192 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 292,495. Sensient Technologies has a one year low of $67.79 and a one year high of $121.54. The stock has a market cap of $3.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.03 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 4.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $95.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $96.40.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $393.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $395.70 million. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 12.82%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.70 earnings per share. Sensient Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.800 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sensient Technologies will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd were given a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 3rd. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.90%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sensient Technologies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MML Investors Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 3,146 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 9,675 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $909,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Sensient Technologies by 53.1% during the fourth quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 401 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 19.3% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 878 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 15.9% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,042 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Company Profile

Sensient Technologies Corporation is a global leader in the manufacture and supply of colors, flavors and fragrances for a broad range of end-markets. The company develops and produces ingredients that enhance the appearance, taste and scent of products in the food, beverage, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, personal care and household sectors. Its portfolio includes natural and synthetic colorants, botanical and artificial flavor systems, fragrance compounds and specialty chemical offerings tailored to customer specifications.

Within its flavor and fragrance division, Sensient provides custom formulations for sweet, savory and umami taste profiles along with fragrance blends for personal care and cosmetic applications.