Nuveen Asset Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 7.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 330,383 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 23,194 shares during the quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned about 0.78% of Sensient Technologies worth $23,543,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of SXT. Freemont Capital Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $449,288,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Sensient Technologies by 0.7% during 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. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,257,033 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $160,836,000 after acquiring an additional 25,230 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,223,728 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $87,203,000 after acquiring an additional 26,119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Snyder Capital Management L P increased its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Snyder Capital Management L P now owns 667,175 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $47,543,000 after acquiring an additional 48,146 shares during the period. 90.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of Sensient Technologies stock in a transaction on 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SXT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price 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 cut Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 22nd.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SXT traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $95.34. 29,873 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 324,492. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 3.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market cap of $4.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.43 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.29. Sensient Technologies Co. has a twelve month low of $66.14 and a twelve month high of $98.27.

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

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. Sensient Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.