Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) Shares Bought by Snyder Capital Management L P

Snyder Capital Management L P grew its position in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 667,175 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 48,146 shares during the quarter. Snyder Capital Management L P owned about 1.58% of Sensient Technologies worth $47,543,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 18,766.7% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 566 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 563 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $65,000. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 49.4% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 920 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 304 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 152.4% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 678 shares during the period. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on SXT. StockNews.com cut shares of Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 22nd. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday.

Sensient Technologies Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of SXT traded down $0.69 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $93.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 593,010 shares, compared to its average volume of 210,099. The company's 50-day moving average is $74.19 and its 200-day moving average is $75.03. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 52-week low of $66.15 and a 52-week high of $94.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.85 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 posted its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.04. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 11.93%. The company had revenue of $392.33 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $387.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.73 earnings per share. Sensient Technologies's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Sensient Technologies's payout ratio is currently 54.30%.

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.