Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) Shares Purchased by Trillium Asset Management LLC

Trillium Asset Management LLC raised its position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 1.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,732 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 582 shares during the period. Trillium Asset Management LLC owned about 0.08% of Sensient Technologies worth $2,329,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in Sensient Technologies by 42.3% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 3,305 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $277,000 after acquiring an additional 983 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 1.6% during the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 58,156 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $4,883,000 after purchasing an additional 933 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 232.5% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 6,157 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $517,000 after purchasing an additional 4,305 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 5.7% in the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 4,672 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $403,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Sensient Technologies by 2.0% in the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,516 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. 88.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SXT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com began coverage on Sensient Technologies in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Sensient Technologies from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 17th.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider E. Craig Mitchell sold 2,608 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.39, for a total transaction of $149,673.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,060,395.03. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.35% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of SXT traded down $0.47 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $60.79. The stock had a trading volume of 2,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 217,448. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $58.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.03. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 12-month low of $52.90 and a 12-month high of $79.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 4.22. The firm has a market cap of $2.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.09 and a beta of 0.83.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 20th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.75. The business had revenue of $363.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $371.80 million. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 12.22% and a net margin of 8.82%. The company’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.85 EPS.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 6th will be given a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 3rd. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 53.77%.

Sensient Technologies Company Profile

Sensient Technologies Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets colors, flavors, and other specialty ingredients in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Flavors & Extracts Group, Color Group, and Asia Pacific Group. The Flavors & Extracts Group segment 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.