Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Buys 1,264 Shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 13.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,592 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 1,264 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $699,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Winder Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $368,711,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,325,028 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $311,408,000 after purchasing an additional 457,446 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 21.9% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,688,101 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $111,617,000 after purchasing an additional 303,612 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 513,916 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $30,054,000 after purchasing an additional 34,740 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 40.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 225,752 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $13,202,000 after purchasing an additional 65,300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Sensient Technologies from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE:SXT opened at $73.24 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.10 billion, a PE ratio of 34.07 and a beta of 0.79. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $68.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $63.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 4.31 and a quick ratio of 1.71. Sensient Technologies Co. has a fifty-two week low of $52.90 and a fifty-two week high of $78.70.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $349.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $371.10 million. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 6.16% and a return on equity of 11.40%. The company’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.64 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 6th will be paid a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 3rd. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is 76.28%.

About Sensient Technologies

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.