Sensata Technologies (NYSE:ST) Reaches New 12-Month High Following Dividend Announcement

Key Points

• 52-week high reached after the company announced a $0.12 dividend payable May 27 (record/ex-dividend date May 13), implying an annualized $0.48 payout and a 1.2% yield while the dividend payout ratio is a high 252.63%.
• Several analysts raised price targets (notably Oppenheimer to $50 and Barclays to $48) but the Street consensus remains a "Hold" with a consensus target price of $40.80.
• Sensata beat estimates for the quarter with $0.88 EPS vs. $0.86 expected and $917.9M revenue (up 1.1% year‑over‑year); analysts forecast about $3.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sensata Technologies Holding N.V. (NYSE:ST - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday following a dividend announcement from the company. The stock traded as high as $39.91 and last traded at $38.7440, with a volume of 1990969 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $39.34.The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be issued a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Sensata Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 252.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on ST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Sensata Technologies from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Barclays lifted their price objective on Sensata Technologies from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Sensata Technologies from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Sensata Technologies from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Sensata Technologies from $43.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sensata Technologies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $40.80.

Sensata Technologies Stock Down 1.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $5.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 203.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a fifty day moving average of $35.89 and a 200 day moving average of $33.87.

Sensata Technologies (NYSE:ST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $917.88 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $911.03 million. Sensata Technologies had a return on equity of 17.92% and a net margin of 0.83%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.76 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sensata Technologies Holding N.V. will post 3.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Sensata Technologies

In related news, EVP Lynne J. Caljouw sold 2,913 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.71, for a total transaction of $101,110.23. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 72,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,528,345.82. The trade was a 3.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 7,889 shares of company stock worth $280,345 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.89% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sensata Technologies

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ST. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Sensata Technologies by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,678 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the period. Inscription Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sensata Technologies by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 27,946 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $930,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in Sensata Technologies by 3.8% during the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 10,981 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $335,000 after buying an additional 397 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Sensata Technologies by 62.7% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,072 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 413 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in Sensata Technologies by 4.8% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,338 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 426 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.42% of the company's stock.

About Sensata Technologies

Sensata Technologies Holdings N.V. is a global industrial technology company specializing in the design, development and manufacture of sensors and electrical protection solutions. The company's product portfolio includes pressure, temperature, position, speed, current and magnetic sensors, as well as circuit breakers and other protection devices. Sensata's offerings serve a wide array of end markets, with a particularly strong presence in automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), industrial automation, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), commercial aerospace and renewable energy sectors.

Headquartered in Attleboro, Massachusetts, Sensata operates a network of manufacturing and engineering facilities across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.

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