IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd Has $1.68 Million Stock Holdings in Sensient Technologies Corporation $SXT

IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd reduced its holdings in Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT) by 33.9% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 17,894 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 9,166 shares during the period. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $1,679,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of SXT. Eminence Capital LP bought a new stake in Sensient Technologies in the second quarter valued at $99,117,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Sensient Technologies by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,000,613 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $98,593,000 after buying an additional 9,211 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. bought a new position in Sensient Technologies in the second quarter worth approximately $91,280,000. Congress Asset Management Co. grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 4.4% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 716,638 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $67,257,000 after acquiring an additional 29,901 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 4,511.3% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 589,272 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $58,055,000 after acquiring an additional 576,493 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Sensient Technologies news, Director Essie Whitelaw sold 3,985 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.02, for a total transaction of $378,654.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,128 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,627,502.56. This represents a 18.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sensient Technologies in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of Sensient Technologies to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $110.00.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of SXT opened at $97.43 on Friday. Sensient Technologies Corporation has a 12-month low of $67.61 and a 12-month high of $121.54. The company has a market cap of $4.14 billion, a PE ratio of 29.80 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 4.59, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $95.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $100.13.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 3rd will be paid a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 3rd. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 50.15%.

About Sensient Technologies

Sensient Technologies Corporation is a global leader in the manufacture and supply of colors, flavors and fragrances for a broad range of end-markets. The company develops and produces ingredients that enhance the appearance, taste and scent of products in the food, beverage, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, personal care and household sectors. Its portfolio includes natural and synthetic colorants, botanical and artificial flavor systems, fragrance compounds and specialty chemical offerings tailored to customer specifications.

Within its flavor and fragrance division, Sensient provides custom formulations for sweet, savory and umami taste profiles along with fragrance blends for personal care and cosmetic applications.