Marathon Partners Equity Management LLC Acquires Shares of 12,500 Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Marathon Partners Equity Management LLC acquired a new position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 12,500 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $891,000. Sensient Technologies accounts for approximately 0.8% of Marathon Partners Equity Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SXT. Freemont Capital Pte Ltd bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $449,288,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at $45,757,000. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $24,490,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $7,270,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 100,788 shares during the period. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE:SXT opened at $94.81 on Tuesday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $78.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $76.05. The stock has a market cap of $4.03 billion, a PE ratio of 32.25 and a beta of 0.58. Sensient Technologies Co. has a fifty-two week low of $66.15 and a fifty-two week high of $98.27. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $392.33 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $387.70 million. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 11.93%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.73 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. 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 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 completion of 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on SXT shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com downgraded 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.

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