Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) Share Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)’s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $75.95 and traded as high as $76.40. Sensient Technologies shares last traded at $76.02, with a volume of 96,724 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sensient Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th.

Sensient Technologies Stock Down 0.4 %

The stock has a market cap of $3.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.37 and a beta of 0.77. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.96. The company has a current ratio of 3.74, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 11.41% and a net margin of 5.80%. The business had revenue of $392.61 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $390.64 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.75 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 2.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Michael C. Geraghty sold 4,000 shares of Sensient Technologies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.48, for a total value of $321,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 36,518 shares in the company, valued at $2,938,968.64. This trade represents a 9.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sensient Technologies

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SXT. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies during the third quarter valued at approximately $72,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. KBC Group NV raised its position in Sensient Technologies by 77.3% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,787 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 779 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Sensient Technologies by 2,753.7% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,912 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $142,000 after acquiring an additional 1,845 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Company 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.