By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT – Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 620,100 shares, an increase of 18.2% from the November 30th total of 524,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 146,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.2 days. Approximately 1.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Sensient Technologies news, insider Michael C. Geraghty sold 4,000 shares of Sensient Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.48, for a total value of $321,920.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 36,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,938,968.64. The trade was a 9.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SXT. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 3.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,694,114 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $135,902,000 after purchasing an additional 60,622 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,208,815 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $89,683,000 after buying an additional 39,290 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 961,455 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $77,143,000 after acquiring an additional 15,868 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Sensient Technologies by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 590,149 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $47,342,000 after acquiring an additional 7,235 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 5.4% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 541,998 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $40,211,000 after acquiring an additional 27,967 shares during the period. 90.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sensient Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Sensient Technologies
Sensient Technologies Stock Up 0.4 %
NYSE:SXT traded up $0.26 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $71.26. 130,003 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 174,918. The firm has a market cap of $3.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.10 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $76.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $76.32. The company has a current ratio of 3.74, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Sensient Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $55.02 and a fifty-two week high of $82.99.
Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.80. The firm had revenue of $392.61 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $390.64 million. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.41% and a net margin of 5.80%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.75 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sensient Technologies will post 2.82 earnings per share for the current year.
Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th were paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.47%.
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.
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