Man Group plc Cuts Stock Holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Man Group plc reduced its position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 18.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 47,829 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 10,852 shares during the quarter. Man Group plc owned about 0.11% of Sensient Technologies worth $3,408,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in 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 valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter worth $50,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its stake in Sensient Technologies by 49.4% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 920 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the period. 90.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 0.1%

Sensient Technologies stock traded up $0.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $93.91. The company had a trading volume of 193,866 shares, compared to its average volume of 222,204. The stock has a market cap of $3.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.94 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 3.55, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 1-year low of $66.15 and a 1-year high of $98.27. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $82.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $77.12.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 11.93% and a net margin of 8.01%. The business had revenue of $392.33 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $387.70 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.73 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. Sensient Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.30%.

Insider Transactions at Sensient Technologies

In other news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of the firm's 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $758,445.70. This trade represents a 17.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SXT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th.

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.