Raymond James Financial Inc. Acquires New Holdings in Sensata Technologies Holding plc (NYSE:ST)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sensata Technologies Holding plc (NYSE:ST - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 205,816 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $5,639,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.14% of Sensata Technologies as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ST. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Sensata Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $48,580,000. Boston Partners grew its stake in shares of Sensata Technologies by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,526,941 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $179,087,000 after buying an additional 677,316 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Sensata Technologies by 54.6% in the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 756,476 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $20,728,000 after buying an additional 267,318 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in Sensata Technologies by 54.0% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 753,600 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $20,649,000 after acquiring an additional 264,400 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Sensata Technologies by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 660,568 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $23,688,000 after acquiring an additional 264,334 shares during the last quarter. 99.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Sensata Technologies from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Sensata Technologies from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Sensata Technologies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $31.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Sensata Technologies in a report on Friday. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $20.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Sensata Technologies from $27.00 to $21.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.33.

Sensata Technologies Stock Performance

Sensata Technologies stock traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $21.46. The company had a trading volume of 340,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,804,326. The company has a current ratio of 2.85, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $3.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.12. The company's fifty day moving average is $24.39 and its 200-day moving average is $28.26. Sensata Technologies Holding plc has a 12-month low of $17.32 and a 12-month high of $43.14.

Sensata Technologies (NYSE:ST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.76. Sensata Technologies had a return on equity of 17.54% and a net margin of 3.27%. Equities research analysts predict that Sensata Technologies Holding plc will post 3.21 EPS for the current year.

Sensata Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.24%. Sensata Technologies's payout ratio is currently 57.14%.

Sensata Technologies Company Profile

Sensata Technologies Holding plc develops, manufactures, and sells sensors and sensor-rich solutions, electrical protection components and systems, and other products used in mission-critical systems and applications in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Performance Sensing and Sensing Solutions.