Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 26,119 Shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,223,728 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 26,119 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 2.89% of Sensient Technologies worth $87,203,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,757,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $24,490,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $7,270,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 100.9% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 200,726 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $14,304,000 after purchasing an additional 100,788 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at $6,483,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

Sensient Technologies stock opened at $94.49 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $4.01 billion, a PE ratio of 32.14 and a beta of 0.63. 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 $94.64. The company’s 50-day moving average is $74.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.03.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.04. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 11.93%. The business had revenue of $392.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $387.70 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.73 earnings per share. Sensient Technologies’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on SXT. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Sensient Technologies from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. StockNews.com cut shares of Sensient Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd.

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.