Thornburg Investment Management Inc. Boosts Holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Thornburg Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 12.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 168,546 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 18,364 shares during the quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.40% of Sensient Technologies worth $12,011,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $236,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $252,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $155,000. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in Sensient Technologies by 42.1% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 13,124 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $935,000 after acquiring an additional 3,885 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $205,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.86% of the company's stock.

Sensient Technologies Price Performance

SXT traded up $0.09 on Friday, hitting $93.90. 35,589 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 220,711. 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 12 month low of $66.15 and a 12 month high of $98.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.92 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50-day moving average of $82.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $77.00.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.04. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 11.93%. The business had revenue of $392.33 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $387.70 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.73 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors 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 payout ratio is presently 54.30%.

Insider Transactions at Sensient Technologies

In other Sensient Technologies 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 transaction of $159,210.60. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $758,445.70. This represents a 17.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SXT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 22nd. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th.

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.