D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 102.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 31,866 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,151 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned 0.08% of Sensient Technologies worth $2,271,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC raised its position in Sensient Technologies by 309.3% during 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 during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 32.0% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,229 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $159,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 5,617 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Sensient Technologies by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,265 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $731,000 after purchasing an additional 1,923 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,619 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $187,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. 90.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sensient Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SXT traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $93.91. The company had a trading volume of 193,866 shares, compared to its average volume of 222,204. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.94 and a beta of 0.58. Sensient Technologies Co. has a twelve month low of $66.15 and a twelve month high of $98.27. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 3.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last announced 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $387.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.73 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other Sensient Technologies news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 $758,445.70. This represents a 17.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on SXT shares. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on 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 Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 22nd.

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.