Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) Shares Sold by Nordea Investment Management AB

Nordea Investment Management AB cut its position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 51.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 708,352 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 747,341 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB owned 1.67% of Sensient Technologies worth $51,037,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,076 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $748,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL lifted its position in Sensient Technologies by 8.1% in the second quarter. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL now owns 6,897 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $512,000 after acquiring an additional 518 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG boosted its stake in Sensient Technologies by 12.1% in the second quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG now owns 112,640 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $8,357,000 after acquiring an additional 12,150 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in Sensient Technologies in the second quarter valued at $531,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 3.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,208,815 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $89,683,000 after purchasing an additional 39,290 shares during the last quarter. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sensient Technologies

In other Sensient Technologies news, insider Michael C. Geraghty sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 36,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,938,968.64. The trade was a 9.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of SXT traded up $1.14 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $70.54. 288,022 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 197,864. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $75.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $76.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.99 billion, a PE ratio of 33.75 and a beta of 0.77. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 52-week low of $55.02 and a 52-week high of $82.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 3.74 and a quick ratio of 1.47.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80. The firm had revenue of $392.61 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.75 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. 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. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th were given a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. 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.