Brandes Investment Partners LP Has $811,000 Stake in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Brandes Investment Partners LP trimmed its holdings in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 31.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,387 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 5,273 shares during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $811,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SXT. Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $345,000. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL lifted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 18.1% in the third quarter. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL now owns 8,143 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $649,000 after buying an additional 1,246 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 66.7% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 58,643 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $4,704,000 after buying an additional 23,474 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 135.8% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 23,059 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,850,000 after buying an additional 13,279 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies during the third quarter worth approximately $471,000. 90.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sensient Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SXT opened at $73.23 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.91 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 3.55, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 1-year low of $66.15 and a 1-year high of $82.99. The business’s 50 day moving average is $72.70 and its 200-day moving average is $75.28.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.01. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.93% and a net margin of 8.01%. The company had revenue of $376.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $375.10 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.51 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Sensient Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday.

Sensient Technologies Company 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.