SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORP (SXT)
Materials · specialty chemicals / food ingredients · NYSE
Sensient Technologies is a global specialty chemical company that develops and supplies essential colors, flavors, and fragrances to the food, beverage, and personal care markets.
What SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORP does
Sensient Technologies Corporation is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of colors, flavors, and fragrances for the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and personal care industries. The company utilizes advanced technologies to develop proprietary flavor and color systems that enhance the sensory properties of its customers' products.
Themes: food and beverage ingredients, personal care ingredients, sensory technology, specialty chemicals
Fundamentals
- Price$134.56 as of 2026-08-21 close
- Market cap$5.7B as of 2026-08-21
- 1-year return+17.7% 2025-08-21 close $114.37 → 2026-08-21 close $134.56
- P/E35.30 as of 2026-08-24
- Net margin+9.3% as of 2026-08-24
- Gross margin+34.9% as of 2026-08-24
- ROE+13.0% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity0.61 as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue growth (YoY)+8.1% as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+3.9% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.83 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-07-24 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +2.8%; at least 5 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer.
How SXT compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiomiddle range 94 covered Materials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- net profit margintop 25% 142 covered Materials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- operating margintop 25% 142 covered Materials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- gross marginmiddle range 141 covered Materials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitymiddle range 151 covered Materials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- 3-year revenue CAGRmiddle range 127 covered Materials peers
- indicated dividend yieldmiddle range 95 covered Materials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)middle range 124 covered Materials peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Materials companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Top 10 scores & list membership
SXT is not currently in any published Top 10 list. Its scores are below.
Long-term score
51.0 #456 of 987 scored · #17 of 66 in Materials
Long-term trend 78th (it is 1.5% below its highest point of the past year) and capital return 71st (consecutive years of dividend increases 5 years); weakest is financial health (29th, free cash flow margin 0.3%, debt to equity 0.6).
Short-term score
59.8 #226 of 1,704 scored · #14 of 83 in Materials
Trend 78th: a strong uptrend, with buyers in control; momentum 67th: MACD momentum is positive; weakest is setup 46th: over the past year its closes ranged, and it has retraced essentially none of its move over the past year — 0% of it.
Scores as of 21 Aug 2026. Each bar is a percentile: how this company ranked against every company the score ranked, 0–100. A list is a published formula and its output, not a recommendation. Method version 2.
Dividend coverage (FY2025)
Exceeded at least one reported measure. In FY2025, SXT's dividend exceeded at least one reported measure of what it earned or generated (earnings payout 52%, free-cash-flow payout 181%). A payout above 100% in one year is not necessarily unsustainable, but it is not fully covered by that measure.
- Earnings payout52% dividends / net income
- Free-cash-flow payout181% dividends / (operating cash flow − capex)
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2025 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORP looks technically
SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORP (SXT) is trading 28.9% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 65 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. A strong uptrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 38, with buyers in control. Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 65, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). It just made a new 20-day high, pushing above its recent trading range. It is 1.5% below its all-time high.
Trend
7
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 28.9% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +28.9% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $122.13 | $122.13 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $104.36 | $104.36 |
| Swing structure | its recent peaks and dips disagree — one of them is rising while the other is not, so there is no clean up or down pattern in the swings | mixed — one of the two is not confirming |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing high 25 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 25 sessions |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 65 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 65 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | a strong uptrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 38, with buyers in control | 37.9 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 65, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 64.7 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading near the top of its 14-day range ($126.18 to $136.58) — its "stochastic" reading is 81 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been climbing within that range over the last few sessions. | 80.6 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, is in positive territory (momentum leaning bullish) | 21 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $136.58 | $136.58 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 1.5% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -1.5% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 62.9% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +62.9% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 1.5% below its highest point of the past year | 1.5% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it just made a new 20-day high, pushing above its recent trading range | 1 session |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it just made a new 55-day high, pushing above its recent trading range | 1 session |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $136.58 (set on 2026-08-18) | $136.58 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($82.96 to $134.56), and it has given back essentially none of its rise from last year’s low — 0% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $101.02 to $102.67. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 0.0% |
| From the all-time high | it is 1.5% below its all-time high | -1.5% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 3.3% above a support level at $130.19 — a price it turned at twice since 2026-04-28, most recently on 2026-07-27. Since 2024-08-21 it has 14 such levels below the current price and 0 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | -3.3% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $16.82 (set on 2005-10-28) | $16.82 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 700.0% above its all-time low | +700.0% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are narrower than usual versus its own recent 6-month history (tighter than about 90% of it) | 10th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $3.79 between its high and its low — about 2.8% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $3.79 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $121.83 and $136.23 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $121.83 – $129.03 – $136.23 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 2.8% in a typical session — calmer than most companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 2.8% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 8.0 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (28.9% above it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 8.0 daily ranges above its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.87× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts have raised their average price target by 1.1% since the prior reading | +1.1% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | the analyst consensus rating is unchanged since the prior reading | unchanged |
Candlestick patterns
2
| Since a doji | 1 session ago it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | 1 session ago |
|---|---|---|
| Since a bullish engulfing | 5 sessions ago it opened below the previous session's close and finished above that session's open — a "bullish engulfing" pair, where one up day more than undid the down day before it | 5 sessions ago |
Price gaps
3
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-08-21 0.8% above the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and had not traded back through that level by the close | +0.8% |
|---|---|---|
| Open gap | it gapped 2.2% above the previous close 2 sessions ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 130.14 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | +2.2% |
| Gap filled | a 2.3% gap up opened on 2026-07-27 has been "filled" 19 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it closed again during the very session that opened it | 19 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it closed higher in its latest session, after a session that did not close higher — a single up day rather than a run | 1 session up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock beat the market by 21.2 percentage points (the stock gained 23.5% while the market gained 2.3%) | +21.2% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock beat the market by 15.9 percentage points (the stock gained 19.0% while the market gained 3.1%) | +15.9% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock beat the market by 37.7 percentage points (the stock gained 48.7% while the market gained 11.1%) | +37.7% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 2.8 percentage points (the stock gained 17.7% while the market gained 20.5%) | -2.8% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 7 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a strong uptrend, with buyers in control, a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, trading above its 200-day average, a fresh 20-day high, MACD momentum is positive, outperforming the market over 6 months, trading above the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 7 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 1 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it is currently in a bearish state: near the top of its 14-day range (overbought) — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 1 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 13% above the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-16 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established uptrend, with the band below acting as the level that would have to give way. The band itself is thin, spanning 0.9% of the share price, which is taken to mean a barrier that gives way easily. | +12.9% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 22% above the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $110.54 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 157 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +21.7% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 5% above the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-07-24 (its 8-K), so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $128.11 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 21 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +5.0% |
Price levels it has turned at before
SXT last closed at $134.56 on 2026-08-21. Since 2024-08-21 it has turned at 14 prices below its last close and 0 above; the 3 nearest below are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $130.19 | Support | 3.3% below the last close | turned there twice · 2026-04-28 to 2026-07-27 |
| $125.70 | Support | 6.6% below the last close | turned there twice · 2026-06-12 to 2026-07-07 |
| $110.27 | Support | 18.1% below the last close | turned there four times · 2025-07-10 to 2026-06-17 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
No Elliott-wave labelling currently fits its swings: the recent highs and lows do not satisfy the three rules a five-wave count has to obey, so there is no count to show rather than a count we are unsure about.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-21.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading above the 200-day moving average · Near the 52-week high · Broke out to a new 20-day high · in a strong, established uptrend (ADX) · Analyst price target recently RAISED · Near the all-time high | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · breakout · all time high
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-21. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingBuy (2.00 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 5 analysts
- Mean price target$142.80 range $133.00 – $155.00; median $140.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-08-17. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for SXT
- Consensus EPS estimate$1.09 next reporting period, as of 2026-08-17
Change over time is not available yet: it needs two readings of the same reporting period at least 30 days apart, and we have been recording these estimates since 2026-08-04. An estimate for a DIFFERENT quarter is not a revision, so a reading from before the last report is never compared with one after it.
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Fluctuations in raw material costs and availability","Foreign currency exchange rate volatility","Ability to successfully integrate acquisitions or execute restructuring plans"]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of SXT's 10-Q filed 2026-05-05 against the prior one filed 2025-11-04.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Newer filing references period after March 31, 2026 (vs. September 30, 2025 in older filing)
- Newer filing references 2025 10-K in forward-looking statements (vs. 2024 10-K in older filing)
- Revenue figures for Q1 2026 vs. Q1 2025: $435.8 million vs. $392.3 million
- Gross margin 35.0% for Q1 2026 vs. 33.6% for Q1 2025
- Portfolio Optimization Plan costs of $1.8 million in Q1 2025 decreasing gross margin by 50 basis points
- Selling and administrative expenses decreased by $0.4 million due to gain on sale of Felinfach land and building assets in Q1 2026
- Felinfach site shutdown in May 2025 with production transferred to other locations
- Felinfach land and building assets sold in February 2026 for approximately $2.0 million, resulting in $0.4 million gain
- Operating income $66.7 million for Q1 2026 vs. $53.5 million for Q1 2025
- Operating margins 15.3% for Q1 2026 vs. 13.6% for Q1 2025
- Interest expense $7.9 million for Q1 2026 vs. $7.3 million for Q1 2025
- Effective tax rates 24.9% for Q1 2026 vs. 25.4% for Q1 2025
- Statement that Company has completed all actions contemplated under Portfolio Optimization Plan
- Removed:
- Nine-month revenue and operating data (older filing included nine-month periods; newer filing shows only three-month periods)
- Revenue figures for Q3 2025 and nine months ended September 30, 2025
- Gross margin percentages for nine months ended September 30, 2025
- Operating income and margins for nine months ended September 30, 2025
- Interest expense figures for nine months ended September 30, 2025
- Reference to decline in average interest rate (older filing mentioned interest rate decrease; newer filing cites debt balance increase)
- Reworded:
- Foreign exchange impact increased from approximately 2% (three months Q3 2025) to approximately 4% (three months Q1 2026)
- Selling and administrative expenses impact from Portfolio Optimization Plan changed from increase of $2.7 million and $5.3 million (Q3 2025 and nine months) to decrease of $0.4 million (Q1 2026 from asset sale gain)
- Interest expense explanation changed from decrease due to lower average interest rate to increase due to higher average outstanding debt balance
- Tax rate impact factors changed: newer filing mentions finalization of prior year foreign tax items and mix of foreign earnings; older filing additionally mentioned limited tax deductibility of Portfolio Optimization Plan costs
- Notes:
- Newer filing text appears truncated at end of Portfolio Optimization Plan section ('For the thre'); comparison based on available complete text
- Older filing text also truncated at Acquisition section; full sections not available for complete comparison
- Newer filing presents Q1 2026 vs. Q1 2025 comparison; older filing presented Q3 2025 vs. Q3 2024 and nine-month comparisons—different quarterly periods compared
Risk Factors
The two filings could not be meaningfully compared for this section.
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
0 open-market purchases and 1 open-market sale by insiders in the last 90 days.
- Last 30 days0 buys · 1 sell ($155372) — 1 selling insider
- Last 90 days0 buys · 1 sell ($155372) — 1 selling insider
- Last 180 days0 buys · 5 sells ($234M) — 4 selling insiders
Activity heuristic: net selling (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-08-05. As of 2026-08-24.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about SXT's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
5 institutional 13F filers reported holding SXT as of 2026-03-31 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 5
- Reported shares held 8,581,696
- Reported value $741,801,825
reported quarterly holdings change (2025-12-31 → 2026-03-31): 0 new, 2 increased, 3 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Short interest (FINRA)
SXT had 1,534,264 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
SXT had 3.60% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 2.04 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 1,534,264
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 3.60%
- Prior settlement (shares) 1,272,650
- Reported change 20.56%
- Days to cover (reported) 2.04
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF)
- Givaudan (GIVN.SW)
- Symrise (SY1.DE)
- Kerry Group (KRZ.IR)
- Koninklijke DSM-Firmenich (DSM.AS)
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
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Frequently asked questions
What does SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORP (SXT) do?
Sensient Technologies Corporation is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of colors, flavors, and fragrances for the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and personal care industries. The company utilizes advanced technologies to develop proprietary flavor and color systems that enhance the sensory properties of its customers' products.
What sector is SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORP (SXT) in?
SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORP (SXT) is classified in the Materials sector. Its industry is specialty chemicals / food ingredients. It trades on NYSE.
Does SXT pay a dividend?
Yes — SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORP (SXT) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 2.79% and at least 5 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC EDGAR XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer (market data, as of 2026-08-24). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORP's (SXT) competitors?
Notable peers of SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORP (SXT) include International Flavors & Fragrances, Givaudan, Symrise, Kerry Group and Koninklijke DSM-Firmenich. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORP (SXT) overbought or oversold right now?
SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORP (SXT) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 65, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-08-21). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on SXT come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-21.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.