GAMMA Investing LLC Purchases 32,190 Shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 17,213.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,377 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 32,190 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $2,410,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 18,766.7% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 566 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 49.4% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 920 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 152.4% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 678 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SXT has been the topic of several research reports. CJS Securities initiated coverage on shares of Sensient Technologies in a report on Tuesday. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 28th.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,668 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.45, for a total transaction of $159,210.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $758,445.70. This trade represents a 17.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Stock Down 0.4%

SXT opened at $94.71 on Friday. 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $66.15 and a 1-year high of $98.27. The company has a market capitalization of $4.02 billion, a PE ratio of 32.21 and a beta of 0.56. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $88.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $78.72.

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

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.73%. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is 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.