State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Raises Stake in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,458 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 1,081 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D owned about 0.06% of Sensient Technologies worth $1,957,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $65,000. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings 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 valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 779 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Sensient Technologies by 2,753.7% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,912 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 1,845 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 32.0% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,229 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $159,000 after buying an additional 541 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Paloma Partners Management Co acquired a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $210,000. 90.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised Sensient Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

SXT opened at $69.69 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $73.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.50. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 1 year low of $64.11 and a 1 year high of $82.99. The stock has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.70 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 3.55 and a quick ratio of 1.34.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $375.10 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.51 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.35%. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.78%.

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.