Sensata Technologies (NYSE:ST) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Sensata Technologies (NYSE:ST) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Sunday morning.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on ST. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Sensata Technologies from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI cut shares of Sensata Technologies from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $40.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Sensata Technologies from $27.00 to $21.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Sensata Technologies from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Sensata Technologies from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.08.

Sensata Technologies Stock Up 3.5%

Shares of NYSE ST opened at $26.59 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $22.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $26.62. The company has a market capitalization of $3.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 2.85 and a quick ratio of 1.99. Sensata Technologies has a 1 year low of $17.32 and a 1 year high of $42.33.

Sensata Technologies (NYSE:ST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $911.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $878.39 million. Sensata Technologies had a net margin of 3.27% and a return on equity of 17.54%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Sensata Technologies will post 3.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Sensata Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th were given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.81%. Sensata Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.26%.

Insider Transactions at Sensata Technologies

In other news, Director Andrew C. Teich acquired 9,925 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $25.19 per share, with a total value of $250,010.75. Following the transaction, the director now owns 41,117 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,035,737.23. This trade represents a 31.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.89% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sensata Technologies

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in Sensata Technologies during the 1st quarter worth $388,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Sensata Technologies by 12.2% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 505,957 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $12,280,000 after acquiring an additional 55,045 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in Sensata Technologies by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,383,447 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $57,846,000 after acquiring an additional 105,621 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in Sensata Technologies during the 1st quarter worth $246,000. Finally, Aristeia Capital L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Sensata Technologies during the 1st quarter worth $229,000. 99.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Sensata Technologies

Sensata Technologies Holding plc develops, manufactures, and sells sensors and sensor-rich solutions, electrical protection components and systems, and other products used in mission-critical systems and applications in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Performance Sensing and Sensing Solutions.