ProShare Advisors LLC Acquires 3,885 Shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 42.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,124 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 3,885 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $935,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter worth about $205,000. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its position in Sensient Technologies by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 330,383 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $23,543,000 after purchasing an additional 23,194 shares during the period. Marathon Partners Equity Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter worth about $891,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in Sensient Technologies by 59.8% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 54,235 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $3,865,000 after purchasing an additional 20,290 shares during the period. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Sensient Technologies by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 23,984 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,709,000 after purchasing an additional 932 shares during the period. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

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

Sensient Technologies Trading Down 0.1%

SXT traded down $0.14 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $94.23. 25,680 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 221,697. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 3.55. Sensient Technologies Co. has a one year low of $66.15 and a one year high of $98.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.06 and a beta of 0.58. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $83.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $77.41.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 return on equity of 11.93% and a net margin of 8.01%. The firm had revenue of $392.33 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $387.70 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.73 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. Sensient Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on SXT shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock 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 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.