Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Sunday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on SXT. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on shares of Sensient Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Sensient Technologies from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Zacks Research downgraded Sensient Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. UBS Group raised their target price on Sensient Technologies from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Sensient Technologies from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.67.

Sensient Technologies Stock Up 2.1%

SXT stock opened at $132.76 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.65 billion, a PE ratio of 35.78 and a beta of 0.84. Sensient Technologies has a 52 week low of $82.60 and a 52 week high of $138.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $131.56 and a 200 day moving average of $119.02.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $462.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $448.84 million. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 13.77%. Sensient Technologies’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.88 EPS. Sensient Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.200 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Sensient Technologies will post 4.20 earnings per share for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 3rd were issued a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 3rd. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 44.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sensient Technologies news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.48, for a total transaction of $155,376.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 7,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $951,936.96. This trade represents a 14.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Sensient Technologies

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the second quarter worth $26,000. Silvant Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies in the second quarter valued at $36,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Sensient Technologies in the second quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 35.2% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 938 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $116,000 after buying an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. 90.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Sensient Technologies

Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT) is a global manufacturer and marketer of colors, flavors, and fragrances. The company develops specialized ingredients and formulations used by food and beverage producers, pharmaceutical companies, personal care and cosmetics manufacturers, and other industrial customers.

Sensient’s product portfolio includes natural and synthetic color systems, flavoring extracts, sweeteners, seasonings, fragrances, and other functional ingredients. Its technologies are designed for applications such as beverages, confectionery, baked goods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, household products, and pet food.

Founded in 1882 and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Sensient serves customers through manufacturing, research, and sales operations across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and other international markets.