Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Takes Position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 7,570 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $539,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of SXT. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 18,766.7% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 566 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new position in Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter worth $50,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter worth $65,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 49.4% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 920 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company's stock.

Sensient Technologies Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:SXT traded down $0.99 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $93.55. 66,242 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 218,895. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $79.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $76.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 3.55 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 1 year low of $66.15 and a 1 year high of $99.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.78 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $387.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.73 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. Sensient Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 54.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sensient Technologies news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of the company's 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,946 shares in the company, valued at $758,445.70. This represents a 17.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.