California Public Employees Retirement System Decreases Stock Holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

California Public Employees Retirement System trimmed its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 69,346 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 3,526 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned 0.16% of Sensient Technologies worth $4,942,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 124.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 59,223 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $4,751,000 after buying an additional 32,784 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 82,626 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $6,628,000 after acquiring an additional 1,474 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in Sensient Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $635,000. State Street Corp lifted its position in Sensient Technologies by 3.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,694,114 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $135,902,000 after buying an additional 60,622 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 309.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 77,260 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $6,197,000 after buying an additional 58,386 shares during the period. 90.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of SXT opened at $68.70 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $72.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $74.96. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 12-month low of $66.15 and a 12-month high of $82.99. The company has a current ratio of 3.55, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market cap of $2.91 billion, a PE ratio of 23.37 and a beta of 0.63.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $376.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $375.10 million. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 11.93%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th were issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com cut Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd.

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.