23,100 Shares in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) Purchased by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

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

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in SXT. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 18,766.7% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 566 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 49.4% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 920 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SXT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. 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 lowered shares of Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 22nd.

Insider Transactions at Sensient Technologies

In other news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.45, for a total value of $159,210.60. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at $758,445.70. This represents a 17.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE SXT traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $94.56. The stock had a trading volume of 264,336 shares, compared to its average volume of 222,704. 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 Co. has a 1 year low of $66.15 and a 1 year high of $98.27. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $84.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.62. The firm has a market cap of $4.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.16 and a beta of 0.58.

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

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

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.