Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Takes Position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 23,100 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $1,646,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned 0.05% of Sensient Technologies at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 309.3% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position 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 buying an additional 541 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 5,617 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 37.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 779 shares in the last quarter. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

Sensient Technologies stock traded up $0.11 on Friday, reaching $94.56. 264,336 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 222,407. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $84.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.60. Sensient Technologies Co. has a twelve month low of $66.15 and a twelve month high of $98.27. The company has a current ratio of 3.55, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market cap of $4.01 billion, a PE ratio of 32.16 and a beta of 0.58.

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

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. Sensient Technologies's payout ratio is presently 54.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sensient Technologies

In other Sensient Technologies news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 7,946 shares in the company, valued at $758,445.70. This trade represents a 17.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 22nd.

Sensient Technologies Profile

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.