Brevan Howard Capital Management LP Acquires New Shares in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP bought a new position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,051 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $289,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,064,724 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $360,912,000 after acquiring an additional 36,406 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Sensient Technologies by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,223,728 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $87,203,000 after purchasing an additional 26,119 shares during the last quarter. Snyder Capital Management L P boosted its stake in Sensient Technologies by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Snyder Capital Management L P now owns 667,175 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $47,543,000 after purchasing an additional 48,146 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $45,757,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 601,033 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $42,830,000 after purchasing an additional 10,884 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on SXT shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 2.9%

NYSE:SXT traded up $2.65 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $94.48. 215,788 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 219,240. The company has a market capitalization of $4.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.14 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 3.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company's 50 day moving average is $79.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.27. Sensient Technologies Co. has a twelve month low of $66.15 and a twelve month high of $99.00.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $392.33 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $387.70 million. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.93% and a net margin of 8.01%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.73 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. Sensient Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.30%.

Insider Transactions at Sensient Technologies

In related news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.45, for a total value of $159,210.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $758,445.70. This represents a 17.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Sensient Technologies

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.