Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) Sets New 52-Week High at $78.89

Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $78.89 and last traded at $78.28, with a volume of 2958 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $77.81.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on SXT shares. StockNews.com cut Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 15th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Sensient Technologies from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 0.6 %

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 business has a 50 day moving average of $75.34 and a 200 day moving average of $69.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.24 and a beta of 0.76.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $384.67 million for the quarter. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.40% and a net margin of 6.16%. As a group, research analysts predict that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 6th were issued a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 3rd. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.28%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Essie Whitelaw sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.84, for a total value of $45,504.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 21,826 shares in the company, valued at $1,655,283.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Steven B. Morris sold 400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.97, for a total transaction of $29,188.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,082 shares in the company, valued at $297,863.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Essie Whitelaw sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.84, for a total value of $45,504.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 21,826 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,655,283.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,037 shares of company stock worth $153,245 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Sensient Technologies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SXT. CWM LLC increased its position in Sensient Technologies by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,558 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its position in Sensient Technologies by 1.3% during the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 36,977 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,558,000 after buying an additional 479 shares during the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division increased its position in Sensient Technologies by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 10,521 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $694,000 after buying an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Sensient Technologies by 9.9% during the second quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,081 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $525,000 after buying an additional 638 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its position in Sensient Technologies by 2.8% during the first quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 24,305 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,682,000 after buying an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

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.