Citigroup Inc. Buys 26,219 Shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 88.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,880 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 26,219 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned approximately 0.13% of Sensient Technologies worth $4,483,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SXT. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the third quarter worth $72,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies in the second quarter worth $129,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 2,753.7% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,912 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $142,000 after purchasing an additional 1,845 shares during the period. Finally, Stanley Laman Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at $214,000. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 transaction of $321,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 36,518 shares in the company, valued at $2,938,968.64. The trade was a 9.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of SXT stock traded down $0.41 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $78.04. 105,589 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 174,114. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.27 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $76.41. 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 Co. has a 52-week low of $55.02 and a 52-week high of $82.99.

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

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th were paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. Sensient Technologies's payout ratio is 78.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sensient Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th.

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.