Victory Capital Management Inc. Has $11.46 Million Stock Position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 142,875 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 10,154 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned 0.34% of Sensient Technologies worth $11,461,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SXT. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies in the first quarter valued at about $203,000. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 48.6% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 17,864 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,368,000 after purchasing an additional 5,845 shares in the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies in the first quarter valued at about $736,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Sensient Technologies by 6.5% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 24,959 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,727,000 after purchasing an additional 1,532 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies in the first quarter valued at about $208,000. 90.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Sensient Technologies

In related news, insider Michael C. Geraghty sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was 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 owns 36,518 shares in the company, valued at $2,938,968.64. This represents a 9.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on SXT. StockNews.com upgraded Sensient Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Sensient Technologies from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

SXT opened at $76.30 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $3.23 billion, a PE ratio of 36.50 and a beta of 0.76. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $77.70 and a 200-day moving average of $76.27. 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 quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 3.74.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.80. The company had revenue of $392.61 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $390.64 million. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.41% and a net margin of 5.80%. The firm's revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.75 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 2.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. Sensient Technologies's payout ratio is 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.