Insider Selling: Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) Director Sells 1,668 Shares of Stock

Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.45, for a total value 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 2.5%

NYSE:SXT traded up $2.26 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $94.09. The company had a trading volume of 65,913 shares, compared to its average volume of 218,652. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 3.55. Sensient Technologies Co. has a fifty-two week low of $66.15 and a fifty-two week high of $98.27. The firm has a market cap of $3.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.01 and a beta of 0.58. The business's fifty day moving average is $79.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.27.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.86 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $392.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $387.70 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.73 EPS. Sensient Technologies's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. Sensient Technologies's payout ratio is presently 54.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on SXT shares. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sensient Technologies

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 8.6% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,894 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $141,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 3,169 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,408 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 4,521 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 132.6% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 435 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company's stock.

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.