Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) Stock Rating Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Sunday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Sensient Technologies from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Sensient Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Sensient Technologies from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on shares of Sensient Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Sensient Technologies from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sensient Technologies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.67.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE:SXT opened at $130.35 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $131.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $118.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.13 and a beta of 0.84. Sensient Technologies has a 12-month low of $82.60 and a 12-month high of $138.82. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.17. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 13.77% and a net margin of 9.27%. The company had revenue of $462.08 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $448.84 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.88 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sensient Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.200 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Sensient Technologies will post 4.20 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 3rd were issued a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 3rd. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is 44.20%.

Insider Activity at Sensient Technologies

In related news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.48, for a total value of $155,376.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 7,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $951,936.96. The trade was a 14.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sensient Technologies

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SXT. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $439,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 32.9% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,247 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $163,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division grew its position in Sensient Technologies by 0.8% in the third quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 12,555 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,641,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies in the second quarter worth about $10,668,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies in the second quarter worth about $2,146,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

About Sensient Technologies

Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT) is a global manufacturer and marketer of colors, flavors, and fragrances. The company develops specialized ingredients and formulations used by food and beverage producers, pharmaceutical companies, personal care and cosmetics manufacturers, and other industrial customers.

Sensient’s product portfolio includes natural and synthetic color systems, flavoring extracts, sweeteners, seasonings, fragrances, and other functional ingredients. Its technologies are designed for applications such as beverages, confectionery, baked goods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, household products, and pet food.

Founded in 1882 and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Sensient serves customers through manufacturing, research, and sales operations across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and other international markets.