Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

SXT has been the subject of a number of other reports. UBS Group lifted their target price on Sensient Technologies from $115.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Sensient Technologies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sensient Technologies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.00.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 0.3%

SXT stock opened at $114.46 on Tuesday. Sensient Technologies has a 12 month low of $82.60 and a 12 month high of $129.35. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $100.12 and its 200 day moving average is $96.93. The company has a market capitalization of $4.87 billion, a PE ratio of 33.76 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 5.01 and a quick ratio of 1.97.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.24. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.71% and a return on equity of 13.12%. The business had revenue of $435.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $411.39 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.86 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sensient Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.700-3.90 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sensient Technologies will post 3.9 EPS for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.38%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Thierry Hoang sold 439 shares of Sensient Technologies stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.15, for a total value of $50,111.85. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 14,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,633,372.35. This trade represents a 2.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies during the 1st quarter worth $1,297,000. Amundi grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 42.7% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 11,398 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $985,000 after buying an additional 3,410 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 26.4% during the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 43,777 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,784,000 after buying an additional 9,146 shares during the last quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC now owns 5,369 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $464,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 16.1% during the 1st quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 33,192 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,869,000 after buying an additional 4,615 shares during the last quarter. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.