At a glance
Sensata Technologies Holding NV is worth $5.95B, about 195 times its fiscal 2025 earnings. Revenue fell 5.8% to $3.70B in fiscal 2025, with 0.8% kept as profit; over 5 years it has grown 4.0% a year. It pays a 1.17% dividend yield, and returned $883.2M to shareholders in dividends and buybacks over FY2021–FY2025. The stock returned +34.1% over the past year with dividends reinvested and −4.7% a year over five years, against +11.5% and +11.7% for the S&P 500. At its worst it fell 52.4% in the 2020 crash (S&P 500: 33.7%) and 42.4% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%).
The business in plain English
Sensata Technologies is a global industrial technology company, incorporated in England and Wales, that designs and makes sensors and electrical protection products. Its sensors turn a physical reading, such as pressure, temperature or position, into an electronic signal that a car or machine can act on. Its electrical protection line includes high-voltage contactors (heavy-duty switches that safely connect and cut off battery power), fuses and distribution units. It also makes power conversion equipment for renewable energy, electric vehicle charging and microgrids.
Automotive is the largest segment, at 57% of the $3.70 billion in revenue for the year ended December 31, 2025. Its customers are carmakers, the Tier 1 suppliers that provide parts directly to them, and aftermarket distributors. Parts are custom-engineered for each vehicle platform. Once a sensor is designed in, it is rarely changed during the platform's life, which typically lasts five to seven years. That makes switching suppliers costly for customers.
Aerospace, Defense, and Commercial Equipment brought in 21.7% of revenue. It serves aerospace and defense companies plus makers of farm, construction and truck equipment. Industrials made up 21.3%, mainly serving makers of heating and cooling systems, appliances, medical equipment, charging infrastructure and data/telecom gear. No customer exceeded 10% of revenue in 2023, 2024 or 2025, and relationships with the top ten customers average 36 years.
Price history
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ST +34.1% over the year to Oct 28, 2026, total return with dividends reinvested.
How it makes money
By business segment
| Automotive | $2.11B | 57% |
| Aerospace, Defense, and Commercial Equipment | $805.0M | 21.7% |
| Industrials | $787.8M | 21.3% |
Latest results
- In Q3 FY2026 (ended Sep 30, 2026), revenue was $1.00B, up 7.7% from a year earlier, and net income was $114.2M.
- For fiscal 2025, revenue was $3.70B (-5.8% year over year; +4.0% a year from FY2020 to FY2025) with a 0.8% net margin.
Financial health check
| Revenue growth a year (FY2020–FY2025) | +4.0% watch |
|---|---|
| Operating margin | 6.4% watch |
| Free cash flow margin | 13.2% good |
| Return on equity (FY2025) | 1.1% weak |
| Return on assets (FY2025) | 0.5% weak |
| Net cash (cash minus debt) | $-1.84B weak |
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Net income | Free cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $3.05B | $164.3M | $453.1M |
| FY2021 | $3.82B | $363.6M | $409.7M |
| FY2022 | $4.03B | $310.7M | $310.5M |
| FY2023 | $4.05B | $-3.9M | $272.1M |
| FY2024 | $3.93B | $128.5M | $392.9M |
| FY2025 | $3.70B | $31.3M | $490.3M |
Valuation snapshot
| Market value | $5.95B |
|---|---|
| P/E ratio | 194.7 |
| Dividend yield | 1.17% |
Rank among 1514 US companies
Market value at each year end
Sensata Technologies Holding NV’s market value went from $6.66B at the end of 2016 to $5.95B on Oct 28, 2026, down 11%; since the end of 2025 it is up 23%.
Show as a table
| Year end | Market value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 28, 2026 | $5.95B | +22.7% |
| 2025 | $4.85B | +18.3% |
| 2024 | $4.10B | -27.9% |
| 2023 | $5.69B | -7.9% |
| 2022 | $6.18B | -36.8% |
| 2021 | $9.78B | +17.8% |
| 2020 | $8.30B | -3.0% |
| 2019 | $8.56B | +16.3% |
| 2018 | $7.36B | -15.9% |
| 2017 | $8.75B | +31.6% |
| 2016 | $6.66B |
Price behavior
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST price data to Oct 28, 2026 | +23.8% | +34.1% | +7.5% | -4.7% | +1.9% |
Show as a table
| Year | Price data |
|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +23.8% |
| 2025 | +23.4% |
| 2024 | -26.1% |
| 2023 | -5.9% |
| 2022 | -34.0% |
| 2021 | +17.0% |
| 2020 | -2.1% |
| 2019 | +20.1% |
| 2018 | -12.3% |
| 2017 | +31.2% |
| 2016 | -15.4% |
| 2015 | -12.1% |
| 2014 | +35.2% |
| 2013 | +19.4% |
| 2012 | +23.6% |
| 2011 | -12.7% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Before this security existed |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Lost 48.5% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 52.4%, back to its old high 7.2 months after the low |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 39.3% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 42.4%, not recovered by the end of the data |
Insider activity
Form 4 filings from 2025-10-29 to 2026-10-29 (25 read): 0 open-market purchases and 3 sales ($538K), 2 of them under pre-arranged 10b5-1 trading plans.
| Date | Insider | Type | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2026 | David K Stott EVP, General Counsel | sell | $300K |
| Jun 12, 2026 | Lynne J Caljouw EVP, Chief HR Officer | sell (plan) | $137K |
| Apr 7, 2026 | Lynne J Caljouw EVP, Chief HR Officer | sell (plan) | $101K |
Who owns it
Large shareholders (13G filings)
| JANUS HENDERSON GROUP PLC | 6.9% | Sep 30, 2025 |
| T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. | 6.6% | Jun 30, 2026 |
| Vanguard Portfolio Management | 5.35% | Mar 31, 2026 |
| Vanguard Capital Management | 5.25% | Mar 31, 2026 |
| Dimensional Fund Advisors LP | 5.1% | Mar 31, 2026 |
ETFs with the most weight in ST
| FDRV Fidelity Electric Vehicles and Future Transportation ETF | 2.49% |
| MOTO SmartETFs Smart Transportation & Technology ETF | 1.87% |
| HAIL SPDR S&P Kensho Smart Mobility ETF | 0.91% |
| DTEC ALPS Disruptive Technologies ETF | 0.75% |
| SMOT VanEck Morningstar SMID Moat ETF | 0.51% |
| TMSL T. Rowe Price Small-Mid Cap ETF | 0.51% |
| WCEO Hypatia Women CEO ETF | 0.48% |
| CARZ First Trust S-Network Future Vehicles & Technology ETF | 0.42% |
What could go wrong
- Heavy reliance on the car industry. Automotive markets supplied about 57% of 2025 revenue. Car production is cyclical. Downturns, customer bankruptcies or pressure from carmakers for lower prices could hurt sales, profits and compliance with loan terms.
- Uncertain pace of electric vehicle adoption. Combustion-engine vehicles still make up most of Sensata's transportation market, but it also counts on electric vehicle growth. If EV adoption slows and traditional vehicle demand doesn't fill the gap, results could suffer.
- Recalls and long warranties on parts. If a part fails, or is alleged to, Sensata could face injury claims or have to pay carmakers' repair and recall costs. Some electric vehicle parts carry eight- to ten-year warranties, and insurance may fall short.
- A sizable debt load. As of September 30, 2026, total debt was $2.39 billion against $553.4 million in cash and investments. Debt payments and loan conditions can limit flexibility, especially if a downturn squeezes cash flow.
- Tariffs, trade rules and currency swings. Sensata makes and ships parts around the world. New tariffs, export controls, political instability or currency swings could raise costs, disrupt supply chains or shrink reported results.
- Possible goodwill write-downs. Sensata carries significant goodwill, the premium paid above asset value in past acquisitions. If those businesses underperform, write-downs would cut reported earnings, which were already thin at $31.3 million in 2025.
Recent events
- Quarterly results released
- Quarterly results released
- Shareholder vote results
- Other company announcement
- Other company announcement
- Quarterly results released
- Quarterly results released
- Executive or board change
- Executive or board change
- Other company announcement
For income and retirement investors
Sensata pays a modest dividend but has no record of raising it. It paid no dividends in 2020 or 2021, began in 2022, and paid about $0.47–$0.48 per share in each of 2023, 2024 and 2025. The yield was 1.17% as of October 28, 2026. In 2025, dividends equaled about 225% of earnings, which were just $0.21 per share. They took only 14.4% of free cash flow (cash left after capital spending). Buybacks have been bigger: $618.0 million from 2021 through 2025, versus $265.2 million in dividends. The share count fell 8.1% in the five years to October 2026.
The shares have fallen hard in downturns. They dropped about 52% from February 19 to March 18, 2020, recovering by October 23, 2020. In the 2022 bear market they fell about 42% from January 4 to September 30, 2022, and had not regained that peak as of October 28, 2026. Single stocks like Sensata carry more risk than diversified funds.
Questions investors ask
How does Sensata Technologies make money?
Sensata makes money by designing and manufacturing sensors and electrical protection products that other companies build into their equipment. Automotive customers, including carmakers and their Tier 1 suppliers, provided 57% of the $3.70 billion in revenue for the year ended December 31, 2025. Aerospace, Defense, and Commercial Equipment added 21.7%. Industrials, which serves heating and cooling, appliance, medical and charging markets, added 21.3%. No single customer exceeded 10% of revenue from 2023 through 2025.
Does Sensata pay a dividend, and does it raise it every year?
Sensata pays a dividend, but it does not raise it every year. The company paid no dividends in 2020 or 2021 and began paying in 2022. Dividends per share were about $0.47 in 2023 and about $0.48 in both 2024 and 2025, so there is no streak of increases. The yield was 1.17% as of October 28, 2026. Management lists maintaining the dividend as a capital priority, alongside capital spending, debt reduction and share buybacks.
Why is Sensata's P/E ratio so high?
Sensata's P/E ratio was 194.7 as of October 28, 2026, mainly because its 2025 earnings were very low. The price-to-earnings ratio divides the share price by a year's earnings per share. Diluted earnings were just $0.21 per share in 2025. Net income fell 75.6% to $31.3 million, even as free cash flow rose to $490.3 million. In the quarter ended September 30, 2026, revenue grew 7.7% from a year earlier and net income was $114.2 million, more than all of 2025.
How much debt does Sensata have?
Sensata had $2.39 billion of total debt and $553.4 million in cash and investments as of September 30, 2026. That leaves net debt (debt minus cash) of about $1.84 billion. Shareholders' equity was $3.07 billion. Reducing debt is a stated priority. In November 2025, Sensata repaid $354.0 million of its 4.0% senior notes, a type of bond. In July 2024 it retired $700.0 million of 5.0% notes, using cash plus $500.0 million of new 6.625% notes due 2032.
How has Sensata stock performed over the long term?
Sensata's long-term price returns have been weak, though the past year was strong. As of October 28, 2026, the shares were up 34.1% over one year. They were down 4.7% a year over five years (about 22% in total) and up only 1.9% a year over ten years. Calendar years swung widely, from a 34.0% loss in 2022 and a 26.1% loss in 2024 to a 23.5% gain in 2025. These are price returns, which leave out dividends.