Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) Shares Sold by BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. reduced its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 184,547 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 21,741 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. owned about 0.44% of Sensient Technologies worth $14,805,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new position in Sensient Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth $1,287,000. Robeco Schweiz AG grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 12.1% during the 2nd quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG now owns 112,640 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $8,357,000 after acquiring an additional 12,150 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in Sensient Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth $531,000. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 9.9% during the 2nd quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,081 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $525,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 24,959 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,727,000 after acquiring an additional 1,532 shares in the last quarter. 90.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Sensient Technologies

In other Sensient Technologies news, insider Michael C. Geraghty sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.48, for a total transaction of $321,920.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 36,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,938,968.64. The trade was a 9.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on SXT shares. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Sensient Technologies from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sensient Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of Sensient Technologies stock traded up $1.48 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $78.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 181,044 shares, compared to its average volume of 165,073. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $77.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $76.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 3.74. Sensient Technologies Co. has a one year low of $55.02 and a one year high of $82.99. The stock has a market cap of $3.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.64 and a beta of 0.76.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.80. The firm had revenue of $392.61 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $390.64 million. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 11.41%. Sensient Technologies's quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.75 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 2.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th will be given a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. Sensient Technologies's dividend payout ratio 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.