Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) Shares Acquired by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its stake in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 26,377 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,332 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $2,116,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the second quarter worth $29,000. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth $72,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth about $129,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Sensient Technologies by 2,753.7% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,912 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $142,000 after acquiring an additional 1,845 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at about $203,000. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on SXT shares. StockNews.com raised Sensient Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Sensient Technologies from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Michael C. Geraghty sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.48, for a total transaction of $321,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 36,518 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,938,968.64. This represents a 9.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Price Performance

NYSE:SXT opened at $78.00 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $77.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.17. The firm has a market cap of $3.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.32 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 3.74. Sensient Technologies Co. has a one year low of $55.02 and a one year high of $82.99.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 11.41%. The business had revenue of $392.61 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $390.64 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.75 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 2.82 EPS for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 78.47%.

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.