Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 5,011 Shares of Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT)

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 2.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 220,906 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 5,011 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.52% of Sensient Technologies worth $16,442,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 132.6% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 435 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 18,766.7% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 566 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 49.4% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 920 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming boosted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 52.9% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,913 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 662 shares in the last quarter. 90.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Sensient Technologies

In other news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of Sensient Technologies stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.45, for a total transaction of $159,210.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 7,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at $758,445.70. The trade was a 17.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SXT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Sensient Technologies from $93.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Finally, CJS Securities began coverage on shares of Sensient Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of SXT opened at $108.50 on Friday. Sensient Technologies Corporation has a 52-week low of $66.15 and a 52-week high of $110.70. The company has a market capitalization of $4.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.93 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 4.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $97.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $82.32.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.04. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.19% and a return on equity of 12.14%. The company had revenue of $392.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $387.70 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.73 EPS. Sensient Technologies's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Sensient Technologies Corporation will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.51%. Sensient Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 54.30%.

Sensient Technologies Company 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.

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