Bank of America Corp DE Lowers Stock Holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Bank of America Corp DE decreased its position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 45.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 50,678 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 42,768 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE owned 0.12% of Sensient Technologies worth $3,611,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 309.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 77,260 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $6,197,000 after acquiring an additional 58,386 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 32.0% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,229 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $159,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,619 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $187,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 77.3% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,787 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 779 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter worth about $65,000. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company's stock.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of SXT traded up $1.69 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $95.56. The stock had a trading volume of 205,931 shares, compared to its average volume of 223,782. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 52 week low of $66.15 and a 52 week high of $98.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 3.55 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $85.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $77.96. The firm has a market cap of $4.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.50 and a beta of 0.56.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 period in the previous year, the business posted $0.73 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. Sensient Technologies's payout ratio is currently 54.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sensient Technologies news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.45, for a total transaction of $159,210.60. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at $758,445.70. The trade was a 17.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on SXT. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 22nd.

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.