Mariner LLC Trims Holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Mariner LLC decreased its holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 7.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 9,108 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 685 shares during the period. Mariner LLC’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $649,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SXT. Barclays PLC boosted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 58,386 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in Sensient Technologies by 25.9% during 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 period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,462 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $270,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 22.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 99,938 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $8,017,000 after buying an additional 18,235 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 25.3% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 16,334 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,164,000 after buying an additional 3,298 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Price Performance

SXT opened at $94.49 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.01 billion, a PE ratio of 32.14 and a beta of 0.63. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $74.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.03. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 1 year low of $66.15 and a 1 year high of $94.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 3.55 and a quick ratio of 1.34.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $392.33 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $387.70 million. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 11.93%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.73 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday.

Sensient Technologies Company 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.