Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday.

Sensient Technologies Price Performance

NYSE SXT traded up $0.62 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $70.28. The stock had a trading volume of 151,032 shares, compared to its average volume of 209,362. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $72.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.49. The company has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.90 and a beta of 0.77. Sensient Technologies has a 52-week low of $64.11 and a 52-week high of $82.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 3.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.01. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.93% and a net margin of 8.01%. The business had revenue of $376.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $375.10 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.51 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Sensient Technologies will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sensient Technologies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SXT. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in Sensient Technologies by 18,766.7% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $65,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 49.4% during the 4th 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. Hedge funds and other 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.