Magnetar Financial LLC Makes New Investment in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 7,464 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $532,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in Sensient Technologies by 18,766.7% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 566 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $65,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 152.4% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 678 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 77.3% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,787 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 779 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.86% of the company's stock.

Sensient Technologies Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of SXT stock traded down $0.14 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $73.17. The company had a trading volume of 269,598 shares, compared to its average volume of 170,823. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 3.55 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.10 billion, a PE ratio of 24.89 and a beta of 0.71. The company's fifty day moving average is $73.28 and its 200 day moving average is $75.14. Sensient Technologies Co. has a fifty-two week low of $66.15 and a fifty-two week high of $82.99.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.65 EPS 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 analysts' expectations of $375.10 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. Sensient Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 55.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday.

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.