Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) Shares Gap Down After Earnings Miss

Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT)’s share price gapped down prior to trading on Friday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $97.93, but opened at $84.00. Sensient Technologies shares last traded at $92.92, with a volume of 358,100 shares trading hands.

The specialty chemicals company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by ($0.06). Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 12.91% and a net margin of 8.72%.The business had revenue of $393.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $395.70 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.70 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sensient Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.800 EPS.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 3rd. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 50.15%.

Key Headlines Impacting Sensient Technologies

Here are the key news stories impacting Sensient Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue growth and operating recovery — Q4 revenue rose 4.5% year‑over‑year to $393.4M (2.0% on a local‑currency basis), showing demand improvement in the period. Sensient Technologies Corporation Reports Results for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Solid profitability metrics — management reported a net margin of ~8.7% and ROE near 12.9%, indicators of healthy cash conversion and returns relative to peers in specialty chemicals. Sensient Technologies Corporation Reports Results for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials published — the company posted its earnings slide deck and the full earnings‑call transcript for review, useful for digging into segment trends and margin drivers. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript 2025 Q4 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage & outlook pieces available — third‑party writeups and outlooks are circulating that summarize the quarter and guidance implications. Earnings Outlook For Sensient Technologies
• Negative Sentiment: EPS and revenue missed consensus — Q4 EPS was $0.72 versus the $0.78 consensus; revenue of $393.45M slightly missed estimates (~$395.7M). The miss likely drove initial selling pressure. MarketBeat Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance came in below street expectations — Sensient set guidance of $3.60–$3.80 versus a consensus near $3.93, creating downward revisions to forward estimates and pressuring the share price. Sensient Technologies Corporation Reports Results for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2025

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on SXT shares. Zacks Research raised Sensient Technologies to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sensient Technologies in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Essie Whitelaw sold 3,985 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.02, for a total value of $378,654.70. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 17,128 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,627,502.56. This represents a 18.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sensient Technologies

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SXT. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 146.2% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 293 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA bought a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 313.5% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 306 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 232 shares during the period. State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 4.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $95.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.66. The stock has a market cap of $3.96 billion, a PE ratio of 29.49 and a beta of 0.58.

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.