The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Raises Holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 3.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,413 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 665 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.05% of Sensient Technologies worth $1,663,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SXT. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 5.2% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,076 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $748,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 2.4% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 21,300 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,580,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp boosted its stake 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 worth $2,558,000 after acquiring an additional 479 shares in the last quarter. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Sensient Technologies from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sensient Technologies

In other news, Director Gebhardt Deborah Mckeithan sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $1,077,714.96. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Sensient Technologies Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of Sensient Technologies stock opened at $76.73 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $75.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $74.58. 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 Co. has a twelve month low of $52.90 and a twelve month high of $82.99. The stock has a market cap of $3.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.69 and a beta of 0.75.

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

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm 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 2.14%. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.28%.

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.