Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) Shares Purchased by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 5.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,002 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 3,359 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 0.15% of Sensient Technologies worth $4,418,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $281,000. Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 70,800 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $5,045,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 25.1% in the fourth quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 28,848 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,056,000 after buying an additional 5,789 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 30,329 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,161,000 after buying an additional 848 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $7,270,000. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday.

Sensient Technologies Stock Up 0.8 %

SXT stock opened at $73.39 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.96 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $73.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $75.15. The company has a current ratio of 3.55, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Sensient Technologies Co. has a twelve month low of $66.15 and a twelve month high of $82.99.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.01. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 11.93%. The company had revenue of $376.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $375.10 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.51 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is 55.78%.

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.