ExodusPoint Capital Management LP Increases Holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

ExodusPoint Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 41.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,844 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,291 shares during the period. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $559,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Sensient Technologies by 22.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 99,938 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $8,017,000 after acquiring an additional 18,235 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 215,895 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $15,385,000 after purchasing an additional 6,984 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its stake in Sensient Technologies by 34.3% in the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 24,449 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,742,000 after purchasing an additional 6,247 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 309.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 77,260 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $6,197,000 after purchasing an additional 58,386 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 4.8% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,462 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. 90.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE SXT opened at $74.00 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.17 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 3.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company’s 50 day moving average is $72.75 and its 200-day moving average is $74.85. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 12-month low of $66.15 and a 12-month high of $82.99.

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

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders 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 2.22%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 55.78%.

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.