Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Boosts Holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 5.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,912 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 374 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $493,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 18,766.7% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 566 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Sensient Technologies by 152.4% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 678 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 77.3% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,787 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 779 shares during the period. 90.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com cut Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 22nd.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:SXT opened at $74.89 on Wednesday. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 52 week low of $66.15 and a 52 week high of $82.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $73.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 3.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market cap of $3.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.47 and a beta of 0.71.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $376.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $375.10 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.51 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 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.