Marathon Partners Equity Management LLC Makes New $891,000 Investment in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Marathon Partners Equity Management LLC purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 12,500 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $891,000. Sensient Technologies makes up about 0.8% of Marathon Partners Equity Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 59.8% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 54,235 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $3,865,000 after purchasing an additional 20,290 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 23,984 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,709,000 after purchasing an additional 932 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,257,033 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $160,836,000 after purchasing an additional 25,230 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,646,000. Finally, Gotham Asset Management LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $1,003,000 after purchasing an additional 6,450 shares in the last quarter. 90.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.45, for a total value of $159,210.60. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,946 shares in the company, 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 the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Sensient Technologies Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:SXT traded down $0.13 during trading on Friday, reaching $94.41. 345,431 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 220,761. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $80.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $76.49. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 52-week low of $66.15 and a 52-week high of $98.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 3.55. The stock has a market cap of $4.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.11 and a beta 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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.04. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 11.93%. The firm had revenue of $392.33 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $387.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.73 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. Sensient Technologies's payout ratio is 54.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th.

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.