BNP Paribas Financial Markets Lowers Stock Position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets reduced its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 64.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,685 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 13,849 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $548,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased 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 valued at $360,912,000 after acquiring an additional 36,406 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,223,728 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $87,203,000 after buying an additional 26,119 shares during the last quarter. Snyder Capital Management L P raised its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 7.8% in the 4th 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 during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,757,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 601,033 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $42,830,000 after purchasing an additional 10,884 shares during the last quarter. 90.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Sensient Technologies Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of SXT traded down $0.63 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $94.73. 138,978 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 221,757. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 52-week low of $66.15 and a 52-week high of $98.27. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $83.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $77.29. The firm has a market cap of $4.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.29 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 3.55.

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 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.73 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. Sensient Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 54.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sensient Technologies

In other news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of Sensient Technologies stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $758,445.70. The trade was a 17.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on SXT shares. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered 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.