Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Friday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $97.93, but opened at $84.00. Sensient Technologies shares last traded at $92.92, with a volume of 358,100 shares traded.

The specialty chemicals company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by ($0.06). Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 12.91% and a net margin of 8.72%.The firm had revenue of $393.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $395.70 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.70 earnings per share. Sensient Technologies’s revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sensient Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.800 EPS.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 3rd will be issued a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 3rd. Sensient Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 50.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SXT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sensient Technologies in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised Sensient Technologies to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $110.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sensient Technologies news, Director Essie Whitelaw sold 3,985 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.02, for a total transaction of $378,654.70. Following the sale, the director directly owned 17,128 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,627,502.56. The trade was a 18.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CW Advisors LLC boosted its position in Sensient Technologies by 15.4% during the second quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 108,654 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $10,705,000 after purchasing an additional 14,498 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Sensient Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $5,497,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 38,785.2% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 20,998 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,069,000 after buying an additional 20,944 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth $671,000. Finally, Creative Planning boosted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 45.1% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 30,044 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,960,000 after buying an additional 9,335 shares during the period. 90.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sensient Technologies Stock Down 5.9%

The firm has a market capitalization of $3.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.18 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 4.59. The business’s 50 day moving average is $95.82 and its 200-day moving average is $99.87.

Sensient Technologies Company 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.