3,535 Shares in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) Bought by Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,535 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $252,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Freemont Capital Pte Ltd acquired a new position in Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $449,288,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter worth about $45,757,000. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $24,490,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $7,270,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 100.9% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 200,726 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $14,304,000 after buying an additional 100,788 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.86% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on SXT shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 22nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 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 trade represents a 17.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Sensient Technologies Price Performance

SXT stock traded down $0.93 during trading on Thursday, hitting $93.30. The company had a trading volume of 34,936 shares, compared to its average volume of 220,449. The business has a 50 day moving average of $81.62 and a 200 day moving average of $76.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.68 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 3.55, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Sensient Technologies Co. has a fifty-two week low of $66.15 and a fifty-two week high of $98.27.

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

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors 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 yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. Sensient Technologies's payout ratio is currently 54.30%.

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.