First Trust Advisors LP Has $39.02 Million Position in Sensient Technologies Corporation $SXT

First Trust Advisors LP lessened its holdings in Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT) by 31.2% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 396,086 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 179,601 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $39,022,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in SXT. Pacific Capital Partners Ltd bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies during the second quarter worth approximately $985,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its stake in Sensient Technologies by 3,508.8% in the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 27,066 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,667,000 after purchasing an additional 26,316 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 88.7% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 12,779 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $951,000 after buying an additional 6,008 shares in the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. increased its position in Sensient Technologies by 52.6% during the 1st quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 17,798 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,325,000 after buying an additional 6,135 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 38,785.2% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 20,998 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,069,000 after buying an additional 20,944 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sensient Technologies in a research note on Monday, December 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.00.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 2.8%

Shares of Sensient Technologies stock opened at $92.56 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 4.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Sensient Technologies Corporation has a 12-month low of $66.14 and a 12-month high of $121.54. The company has a market capitalization of $3.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.31 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $94.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.56.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $412.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $407.45 million. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.72% and a return on equity of 12.91%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.80 EPS. Sensient Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.130-3.230 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Sensient Technologies Corporation will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.15%.

Insider Transactions at Sensient Technologies

In related news, Director Essie Whitelaw sold 3,985 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.02, for a total value of $378,654.70. Following the sale, the director directly owned 17,128 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,627,502.56. This trade represents a 18.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP David J. Plautz bought 2,150 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $92.98 per share, with a total value of $199,907.00. Following the purchase, the vice president owned 2,999 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $278,847.02. This represents a 253.24% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.