Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) Shares Bought by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 116.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,477 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,015 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.'s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $533,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 309.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 77,260 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $6,197,000 after purchasing an additional 58,386 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Sensient Technologies by 1.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 961,455 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $77,143,000 after acquiring an additional 15,868 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in Sensient Technologies by 25.9% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 13,364 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,072,000 after buying an additional 2,747 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Sensient Technologies by 22.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 99,938 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $8,017,000 after purchasing an additional 18,235 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 25.3% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 16,334 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,164,000 after purchasing an additional 3,298 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 22nd.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 1.0 %

Sensient Technologies stock traded up $0.80 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $79.20. 31,832 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 199,388. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 12-month low of $66.15 and a 12-month high of $82.99. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $74.68. The firm has a market cap of $3.36 billion, a PE ratio of 26.94 and a beta of 0.63. 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 (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $376.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $375.10 million. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.93% and a net margin of 8.01%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.51 EPS. Research analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Sensient Technologies

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.