Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Takes Position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 23,100 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $1,646,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned 0.05% of Sensient Technologies as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Gotham Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 84.6% during the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 14,077 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,003,000 after acquiring an additional 6,450 shares during the period. Freemont Capital Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $449,288,000. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its position in Sensient Technologies by 102.8% during the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 31,866 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,271,000 after purchasing an additional 16,151 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 47.8% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 37,227 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,653,000 after buying an additional 12,039 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter worth about $3,342,000. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Sensient Technologies

In other Sensient Technologies news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of the firm's 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $758,445.70. This trade represents a 17.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. 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 report on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com cut shares of Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 22nd.

Sensient Technologies Stock Up 0.9%

NYSE:SXT traded up $0.83 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $95.28. The stock had a trading volume of 31,773 shares, compared to its average volume of 219,965. Sensient Technologies Co. has a twelve month low of $66.15 and a twelve month high of $98.27. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $80.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $76.63. The company has a current ratio of 3.55, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company has a market capitalization of $4.05 billion, a PE ratio of 32.41 and a beta of 0.58.

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

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. Sensient Technologies's payout ratio 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.