Arizona State Retirement System Acquires 206 Shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 2.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,076 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the quarter. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $748,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SXT. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,680 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $273,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co raised its position in Sensient Technologies by 2.4% in the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 11,664 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $865,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in Sensient Technologies by 1.9% in the second quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 21,300 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,580,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp grew its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 36,977 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,558,000 after acquiring an additional 479 shares during the period. Finally, Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 9.9% during the 2nd quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,081 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $525,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Stock Up 2.3 %

Sensient Technologies stock opened at $75.53 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.13 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.31. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 1-year low of $52.90 and a 1-year high of $82.99. The company has a current ratio of 4.16, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 26th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.25% and a net margin of 5.83%. The company had revenue of $403.53 million for the quarter. On average, analysts predict that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 2.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, August 5th were paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 5th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.17%. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Sensient Technologies from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. StockNews.com cut Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th.

Insider Activity at Sensient Technologies

In other Sensient Technologies news, Director Gebhardt Deborah Mckeithan sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.08, for a total value of $142,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,077,714.96. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.