Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Makes New $490,000 Investment in Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired 6,589 shares of Sensient Technologies, valued at approximately $490,000.
• Institutional investors now hold 90.86% of Sensient Technologies, with several firms, including Robeco Schweiz AG and Victory Capital Management, significantly increasing their stakes.
• The company reported $0.94 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.41 per share, reflecting a 1.5% yield.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 6,589 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $490,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Sensient Technologies by 59.1% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 6,771 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $483,000 after purchasing an additional 2,515 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 100.9% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 200,726 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $14,304,000 after acquiring an additional 100,788 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $45,757,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 116.0% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,477 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $533,000 after acquiring an additional 4,015 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP lifted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 165.6% during the fourth quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 38,193 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,722,000 after purchasing an additional 23,813 shares in the last quarter. 90.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of Sensient Technologies stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.45, for a total value of $159,210.60. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,946 shares in the company, valued at $758,445.70. The trade was a 17.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Sensient Technologies Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of SXT stock traded down $0.08 on Wednesday, reaching $114.21. 120,865 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 352,082. The company has a quick ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 4.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $103.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $87.09. The stock has a market cap of $4.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.98 and a beta of 0.58. Sensient Technologies Corporation has a 1-year low of $66.14 and a 1-year high of $115.40.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.06. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 12.56% and a net margin of 8.56%. The company had revenue of $414.23 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $417.60 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.77 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sensient Technologies Corporation will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 4th will be issued a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 4th. Sensient Technologies's payout ratio is presently 51.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on SXT. CJS Securities began coverage on Sensient Technologies in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Sensient Technologies from $93.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 3rd.

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.