Two Sigma Advisers LP Purchases 8,646 Shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its position in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 27.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,200 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,646 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned approximately 0.09% of Sensient Technologies worth $2,865,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 55,482 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $3,954,000 after acquiring an additional 6,624 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 185,490 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $13,218,000 after buying an additional 7,148 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 215,895 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $15,385,000 after buying an additional 6,984 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 34.3% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 24,449 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,742,000 after buying an additional 6,247 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 309.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 77,260 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $6,197,000 after buying an additional 58,386 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of the company's 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $758,445.70. This represents a 17.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Sensient Technologies Price Performance

SXT stock traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $94.56. The company 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 current ratio of 3.55 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 1 year low of $66.15 and a 1 year high of $98.27. The company has a market capitalization of $4.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.16 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $84.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $77.62.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $392.33 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $387.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.73 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

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

Sensient Technologies 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.