Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Raises Stock Position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT) by 25.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 28,848 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,789 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Sensient Technologies were worth $2,056,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Sensient Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 18,766.7% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 566 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 563 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Sensient Technologies by 152.4% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 678 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 77.3% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,787 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $127,000 after acquiring an additional 779 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 1.3 %

SXT opened at $74.00 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.17 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 3.55, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $72.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.22. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 12 month low of $66.15 and a 12 month high of $82.99.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.01. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 11.93%. The firm had revenue of $376.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $375.10 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.51 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Sensient Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th.

Sensient Technologies 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.