Mario Ferruzzi Sells 1,668 Shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) Stock

Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.45, for a total transaction of $159,210.60. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $758,445.70. This represents a 17.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Sensient Technologies Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:SXT traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $94.41. The company had a trading volume of 345,431 shares, compared to its average volume of 220,761. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 3.55 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $80.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.11 and a beta of 0.58. Sensient Technologies Co. has a one year low of $66.15 and a one year high of $98.27.

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

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. Sensient Technologies's dividend payout ratio is 54.30%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rivermont Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 1st quarter worth about $10,087,000. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in Sensient Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at $201,000. Sandler Capital Management acquired a new stake in Sensient Technologies in the first quarter valued at about $5,865,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in Sensient Technologies by 112.1% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 115,042 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $8,563,000 after purchasing an additional 60,807 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 4.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 25,091 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,868,000 after acquiring an additional 1,107 shares during the last quarter. 90.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on SXT shares. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the company 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 research report on Saturday, March 22nd.

About Sensient Technologies

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.