California Public Employees Retirement System Has $4.72 Million Stock Holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

California Public Employees Retirement System trimmed its stake in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 7.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,503 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 5,362 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned about 0.17% of Sensient Technologies worth $4,719,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of SXT. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Sensient Technologies in the third quarter worth $29,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 1,486.7% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 714 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 669 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 32.2% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,087 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 30.5% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,558 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 30.9% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,222 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $130,000 after purchasing an additional 525 shares during the period. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Sensient Technologies

In other Sensient Technologies news, insider Steven B. Morris sold 400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.97, for a total value of $29,188.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $297,863.54. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Sensient Technologies Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:SXT opened at $74.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 4.31 and a quick ratio of 1.71. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $68.86 and a 200-day moving average of $64.04. The company has a market cap of $3.13 billion, a PE ratio of 34.42 and a beta of 0.76. Sensient Technologies Co. has a one year low of $52.90 and a one year high of $78.70.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $349.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $371.10 million. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.40% and a net margin of 6.16%. The company’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 6th will be given a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 3rd. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 76.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Sensient Technologies from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th.

Sensient Technologies 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.