Principal Financial Group Inc. Buys 11,945 Shares of Sensata Technologies Holding N.V. $ST

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Sensata Technologies Holding N.V. (NYSE:ST) by 3.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 325,314 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 11,945 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.22% of Sensata Technologies worth $11,458,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Sensata Technologies by 107.8% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 419,137 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $10,172,000 after acquiring an additional 217,418 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new stake in Sensata Technologies in the 1st quarter worth $246,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Sensata Technologies by 12.2% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 505,957 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $12,280,000 after purchasing an additional 55,045 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Sensata Technologies by 11.8% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 23,409 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $705,000 after purchasing an additional 2,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of Sensata Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $750,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ST shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Sensata Technologies from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Weiss Ratings raised Sensata Technologies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Sensata Technologies from $48.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Sensata Technologies from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Sensata Technologies from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sensata Technologies has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $48.60.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David K. Stott sold 6,335 shares of Sensata Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.40, for a total value of $300,279.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 39,687 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,881,163.80. The trade was a 13.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.65% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Sensata Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ST opened at $45.62 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $47.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.75, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 147.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.27. Sensata Technologies Holding N.V. has a 12-month low of $28.16 and a 12-month high of $53.89.

Sensata Technologies (NYSE:ST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $934.80 million during the quarter. Sensata Technologies had a net margin of 1.28% and a return on equity of 18.23%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Sensata Technologies Holding N.V. will post 3.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sensata Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be paid a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 12th. Sensata Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 154.84%.

Sensata Technologies Company Profile

Sensata Technologies Holdings N.V. is a global industrial technology company specializing in the design, development and manufacture of sensors and electrical protection solutions. The company’s product portfolio includes pressure, temperature, position, speed, current and magnetic sensors, as well as circuit breakers and other protection devices. Sensata’s offerings serve a wide array of end markets, with a particularly strong presence in automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), industrial automation, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), commercial aerospace and renewable energy sectors.

Headquartered in Attleboro, Massachusetts, Sensata operates a network of manufacturing and engineering facilities across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.