Sensata Technologies (NYSE:ST) Upgraded by Evercore ISI to Outperform

Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Sensata Technologies (NYSE:ST - Free Report) from an in-line rating to an outperform rating in a research report released on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has $60.00 price objective on the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, up from their previous price objective of $44.00.

ST has been the subject of several other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a neutral rating and issued a $36.00 target price (down previously from $44.00) on shares of Sensata Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Sensata Technologies from $37.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Sensata Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. They issued a hold rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Sensata Technologies from a neutral rating to an underweight rating and dropped their price target for the company from $37.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Sensata Technologies from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $50.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $43.78.

Sensata Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ST traded up $1.03 during trading on Monday, reaching $41.10. 3,924,531 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,218,468. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.64 and a quick ratio of 1.74. Sensata Technologies has a 12 month low of $30.56 and a 12 month high of $47.41. The company has a 50 day moving average of $35.62 and a 200-day moving average of $34.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.19 billion, a P/E ratio of -373.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.32.

Sensata Technologies (NYSE:ST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 29th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.03. Sensata Technologies had a negative net margin of 0.35% and a positive return on equity of 17.58%. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $986.51 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Sensata Technologies will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

Sensata Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th will be issued a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 7th. Sensata Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -436.32%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Ali John Mirshekari acquired 73,137 shares of Sensata Technologies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $39.17 per share, with a total value of $2,864,776.29. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 73,137 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,864,776.29. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ST. Kodai Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Sensata Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $133,156,000. Eminence Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Sensata Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at $46,794,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Sensata Technologies by 172.5% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,928,193 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $72,924,000 after buying an additional 1,220,599 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Sensata Technologies by 94.9% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,438,760 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $54,414,000 after buying an additional 700,717 shares during the period. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP grew its holdings in shares of Sensata Technologies by 67.6% during the fourth quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 1,489,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $55,969,000 after buying an additional 600,875 shares in the last quarter. 99.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sensata Technologies Company Profile

Sensata Technologies Holding plc develops, manufactures, and sells sensors and sensor-rich solutions, electrical protection components and systems, and other products used in mission-critical systems and applications in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Performance Sensing and Sensing Solutions.