Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Strong-Buy Rating

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on SXT. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Sensient Technologies from $143.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on Sensient Technologies in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Sensient Technologies from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Sensient Technologies from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.00.

Sensient Technologies Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE SXT opened at $124.85 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.65 and a beta of 0.78. Sensient Technologies has a 52-week low of $82.60 and a 52-week high of $131.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 4.39. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $117.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $104.75.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.17. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 13.77%. The company had revenue of $462.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $448.84 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.88 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sensient Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.200 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Sensient Technologies will post 4.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sensient Technologies news, VP Thierry Hoang sold 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.19, for a total value of $46,076.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 13,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,602,177.71. This trade represents a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sensient Technologies

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of SXT. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Sensient Technologies by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,046,850 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $90,494,000 after purchasing an additional 22,793 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,010,258 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $94,930,000 after buying an additional 4,123 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the first quarter valued at $77,955,000. Snyder Capital Management L P lifted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Snyder Capital Management L P now owns 695,170 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $65,311,000 after buying an additional 29,707 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 548,337 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $51,516,000 after buying an additional 21,217 shares during the last quarter. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Sensient Technologies

Sensient Technologies Corporation is a global leader in the manufacture and supply of colors, flavors and fragrances for a broad range of end-markets. The company develops and produces ingredients that enhance the appearance, taste and scent of products in the food, beverage, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, personal care and household sectors. Its portfolio includes natural and synthetic colorants, botanical and artificial flavor systems, fragrance compounds and specialty chemical offerings tailored to customer specifications.

Within its flavor and fragrance division, Sensient provides custom formulations for sweet, savory and umami taste profiles along with fragrance blends for personal care and cosmetic applications.