Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Purchases 7,310 Shares of Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 29.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 31,759 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,310 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned 0.07% of Sensient Technologies worth $2,364,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SXT. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the 1st quarter worth $224,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Sensient Technologies by 132.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 435 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Portside Wealth Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $280,000. Congress Asset Management Co. purchased a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at $49,984,000. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $1,646,000. 90.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sensient Technologies

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on SXT. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd. Finally, CJS Securities assumed coverage on shares of Sensient Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $95.00 target price for the company.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE SXT traded up $1.07 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $105.06. The stock had a trading volume of 991,128 shares, compared to its average volume of 242,711. Sensient Technologies Corporation has a 52-week low of $66.15 and a 52-week high of $108.00. The firm has a market cap of $4.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.79 and a beta of 0.56. The business's fifty day moving average price is $94.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $80.52. The company has a current ratio of 4.34, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $392.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $387.70 million. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 12.14% and a net margin of 8.19%. The business's revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.73 EPS. Analysts expect 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 1.56%. Sensient Technologies's dividend 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.