Meyer Handelman Co. Sells 16,000 Shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Meyer Handelman Co. trimmed its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 38.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,200 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 16,000 shares during the period. Meyer Handelman Co. owned about 0.06% of Sensient Technologies worth $1,744,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,389,711 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $355,721,000 after buying an additional 64,683 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 21.9% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,688,101 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $111,617,000 after buying an additional 303,612 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,161,451 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $76,657,000 after buying an additional 129,386 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $36,188,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 545,922 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $36,031,000 after buying an additional 32,006 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, Director Essie Whitelaw sold 1,037 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.75, for a total value of $78,552.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,789 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,574,766.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Steven B. Morris sold 400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.97, for a total transaction of $29,188.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,082 shares of the company's stock, valued at $297,863.54. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Essie Whitelaw sold 1,037 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.75, for a total transaction of $78,552.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,789 shares in the company, valued at $1,574,766.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,037 shares of company stock valued at $153,245 in the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on SXT. StockNews.com cut shares of Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 15th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Sensient Technologies from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 29th.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of SXT stock traded down $0.12 on Friday, reaching $74.48. The stock had a trading volume of 455,631 shares, compared to its average volume of 132,118. The company has a quick ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 4.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm's 50-day moving average is $74.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.64 and a beta of 0.78. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 12 month low of $52.90 and a 12 month high of $78.77.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $384.67 million for the quarter. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 6.16% and a return on equity of 11.40%. On average, research analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 6th were issued a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 3rd. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. Sensient Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 76.28%.

Sensient Technologies Profile

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.