Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Buys New Stake in Sensient Technologies Corporation $SXT

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 325,850 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,174,000. Sensient Technologies makes up about 1.1% of Ceredex Value Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.77% of Sensient Technologies at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the second quarter valued at about $818,403,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,046,850 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $90,494,000 after acquiring an additional 22,793 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Sensient Technologies by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,010,258 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $94,930,000 after acquiring an additional 4,123 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Sensient Technologies in the first quarter valued at approximately $77,955,000. Finally, Snyder Capital Management L P raised its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Snyder Capital Management L P now owns 695,170 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $65,311,000 after purchasing an additional 29,707 shares during the period. 90.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

Sensient Technologies stock opened at $132.39 on Friday. Sensient Technologies Corporation has a 52 week low of $82.60 and a 52 week high of $136.58. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market cap of $5.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.68 and a beta of 0.78. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $121.89 and a 200-day moving average of $108.67.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $462.08 million during 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%. The business’s revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.88 earnings per share. Sensient Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.200 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Corporation will post 4.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 3rd will be given a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 44.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SXT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Sensient Technologies from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Sensient Technologies from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sensient Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on shares of Sensient Technologies in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Sensient Technologies from $143.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Sensient Technologies presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sensient Technologies

In other news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.48, for a total value of $155,376.00. Following the sale, the director owned 7,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $951,936.96. This represents a 14.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Profile

Sensient Technologies Corporation is a global leader in the manufacture and supply of colors, flavors and fragrances for a broad range of end-markets. The company develops and produces ingredients that enhance the appearance, taste and scent of products in the food, beverage, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, personal care and household sectors. Its portfolio includes natural and synthetic colorants, botanical and artificial flavor systems, fragrance compounds and specialty chemical offerings tailored to customer specifications.

Within its flavor and fragrance division, Sensient provides custom formulations for sweet, savory and umami taste profiles along with fragrance blends for personal care and cosmetic applications.