Moody National Bank Trust Division Buys 3,320 Shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Moody National Bank Trust Division grew its stake in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 31.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,841 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,320 shares during the period. Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $958,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,389,711 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $355,721,000 after purchasing an additional 64,683 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,688,101 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $111,617,000 after purchasing an additional 303,612 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,161,451 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $76,657,000 after purchasing an additional 129,386 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Sensient Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $36,188,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 545,922 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $36,031,000 after purchasing an additional 32,006 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 15th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Sensient Technologies from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sensient Technologies

In other Sensient Technologies news, Director Essie Whitelaw sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.84, for a total transaction of $45,504.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,826 shares in the company, valued at $1,655,283.84. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Sensient Technologies news, insider Steven B. Morris sold 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.97, for a total transaction of $29,188.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,082 shares in the company, valued at $297,863.54. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Essie Whitelaw sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.84, for a total transaction of $45,504.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 21,826 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,655,283.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,037 shares of company stock worth $153,245 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE SXT opened at $75.36 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 4.31, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 1-year low of $52.90 and a 1-year high of $78.77. The company has a 50 day moving average of $74.01 and a 200-day moving average of $68.20. The company has a market cap of $3.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.05 and a beta of 0.78.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 6.16% and a return on equity of 11.40%. The company had revenue of $384.67 million during the quarter. On average, equities research analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 6th were given a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 3rd. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.28%.

Sensient Technologies Company 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.