At a glance
Sensient Technologies Corporation is worth $5.60B, about 42 times its fiscal 2025 earnings. Revenue grew 3.5% to $1.61B in fiscal 2025, with 8.3% kept as profit; over 5 years it has grown 3.9% a year. It pays a 1.25% dividend yield, and returned $386.4M to shareholders in dividends and buybacks over FY2021–FY2025. The stock returned +41.5% over the past year with dividends reinvested and +9.1% a year over five years, against +11.5% and +11.7% for the S&P 500. At its worst it fell 28.4% in the 2020 crash (S&P 500: 33.7%) and 29.6% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 4 months and 31 months after the lows.
The business in plain English
Sensient Technologies makes colors, flavors and specialty ingredients used in other companies' products. Customers range from start-ups to major international food, beverage, drug, supplement and personal-care manufacturers. It earns money by developing and producing these ingredients, often tailored to a customer's recipe. The Milwaukee company, incorporated in 1882, was once called Universal Foods.
Of $1.61 billion in fiscal 2025 revenue, the Flavors & Extracts Group brought in about 49%. It sells flavor systems, extracts and essential oils. By Sensient's estimate, its agricultural ingredients arm is the second-largest US producer of dehydrated onion and garlic. The Color Group, about 44%, makes natural and synthetic colors for foods, drinks, medicines and cosmetics. Sensient believes it is the world's largest maker of certified food colors, which are synthetic dyes US regulators approve batch by batch. The Asia Pacific Group, about 10%, sells both lines across the Pacific Rim and India.
North America supplied 58% of revenue, Europe about 20% and Asia Pacific about 15%. In its fiscal 2025 report, Sensient said it was speeding up the switch of its roughly $100 million North American synthetic food color business to natural colors, as major US food companies pledged to drop synthetic dyes. Matching a synthetic shade usually takes more natural color, so Sensient sees a major opportunity that requires significant investment.
Price history
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SXT +41.5% over the year to Oct 28, 2026, total return with dividends reinvested.
How it makes money
By product or service
| Food & Pharmaceutical Colors | $529.5M | 32.8% |
| Flavors, Extracts & Flavor Ingredients | $528.8M | 32.8% |
| Agricultural Ingredients | $258.2M | 16% |
| Personal Care | $171.1M | 10.6% |
By business segment
| Flavors & Extracts | $786.9M | 48.8% |
| Color | $700.6M | 43.5% |
| Asia Pacific | $168.2M | 10.4% |
By geography
| North America | $935.3M | 58% |
| Europe | $314.8M | 19.5% |
| Asia Pacific | $247.5M | 15.4% |
| Other | $114.5M | 7.1% |
Latest results
- In Q3 FY2026 (ended Sep 30, 2026), revenue was $455.8M, up 10.6% from a year earlier, and net income was $48.3M (+30.8%).
- For fiscal 2025, revenue was $1.61B (+3.5% year over year; +3.9% a year from FY2020 to FY2025) with a 8.3% net margin.
Financial health check
| Revenue growth a year (FY2020–FY2025) | +3.9% watch |
|---|---|
| Operating margin | 12.8% watch |
| Free cash flow margin | 2.4% watch |
| Return on equity (FY2025) | 11.3% watch |
| Return on assets (FY2025) | 6% watch |
| Net cash (cash minus debt) | $-747.8M weak |
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Net income | Free cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $1.33B | $109.5M | $166.6M |
| FY2021 | $1.38B | $118.7M | $84.4M |
| FY2022 | $1.44B | $140.9M | $-67.3M |
| FY2023 | $1.46B | $93.4M | $81.8M |
| FY2024 | $1.56B | $124.7M | $97.9M |
| FY2025 | $1.61B | $134.5M | $38.4M |
Valuation snapshot
| Market value | $5.60B |
|---|---|
| P/E ratio | 41.6 |
| Dividend yield | 1.25% |
Rank among 1514 US companies
Market value at each year end
Sensient Technologies’s market value went from $3.50B at the end of 2016 to $5.60B on Oct 28, 2026, up 60%; since the end of 2025 it is up 40%.
Show as a table
| Year end | Market value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 28, 2026 | $5.60B | +40.3% |
| 2025 | $3.99B | +32.2% |
| 2024 | $3.02B | +8.3% |
| 2023 | $2.79B | -9.0% |
| 2022 | $3.07B | -27.1% |
| 2021 | $4.21B | +34.6% |
| 2020 | $3.12B | +11.7% |
| 2019 | $2.80B | +18.5% |
| 2018 | $2.36B | -25.8% |
| 2017 | $3.18B | -9.1% |
| 2016 | $3.50B |
Price behavior
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SXT price data to Oct 28, 2026 | +41.6% | +41.5% | +35.7% | +9.1% | +8.2% |
Show as a table
| Year | Price data |
|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +41.6% |
| 2025 | +34.2% |
| 2024 | +10.5% |
| 2023 | -7.3% |
| 2022 | -25.6% |
| 2021 | +38.2% |
| 2020 | +14.8% |
| 2019 | +21.0% |
| 2018 | -22.1% |
| 2017 | -5.4% |
| 2016 | +27.2% |
| 2015 | +5.8% |
| 2014 | +26.7% |
| 2013 | +39.4% |
| 2012 | -3.9% |
| 2011 | +5.7% |
| 2010 | +43.4% |
| 2009 | +13.7% |
| 2008 | -13.3% |
| 2007 | +18.0% |
| 2006 | +41.6% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Lost 32.6% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 42%, back to its old high 13.5 months after the low |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Lost 27.7% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 28.4%, back to its old high 3.7 months after the low |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 29.4% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 29.6%, back to its old high 30.7 months after the low |
Insider activity
Form 4 filings from 2025-10-31 to 2026-10-31 (25 read): 0 open-market purchases and 5 sales ($233.6M).
| Date | Insider | Type | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 2026 | Winder Pte. Ltd. 10% owner | sell | $233.4M |
| Aug 5, 2026 | Mario Ferruzzi Director | sell | $155K |
| May 4, 2026 | Thierry Hoang VP, Asia Pacific Group | sell | $50K |
| May 18, 2026 | Thierry Hoang VP, Asia Pacific Group | sell | $46K |
| Apr 30, 2026 | Steven B Morris President, Color Group | sell | $23K |
Who owns it
Large shareholders (13G filings)
| BlackRock, Inc. | 14.7% | Mar 31, 2025 |
| Vanguard Portfolio Management | 6.53% | Mar 31, 2026 |
| Vanguard Capital Management | 5.24% | Mar 31, 2026 |
| JANUS HENDERSON GROUP PLC | 4.9% | Dec 31, 2025 |
ETFs with the most weight in SXT
| PSCM Invesco S&P SmallCap Materials ETF | 5.01% |
| CSB VictoryShares US Small Cap High Dividend Volatility Wtd ETF | 1.42% |
| DGRS WisdomTree US Smallcap Quality Dividend Growth Fund | 1.17% |
| SMLV SPDR SSGA US Small Cap Low Volatility Index ETF | 0.55% |
| FLQS Franklin U.S. Small Cap Multifactor Index ETF | 0.48% |
| FVD First Trust Value Line Dividend Index Fund | 0.46% |
| ANEW ProShares MSCI Transformational Changes ETF | 0.41% |
| QIDX Indexperts Quality Earnings Focused ETF | 0.36% |
What could go wrong
- Key raw materials come from conflict zones. Sensient's main sunflower oil suppliers, serving its savory and beverage businesses, are in Ukraine, and it sources some crops in Turkey. It has already struggled to find reliable, well-priced substitutes.
- Natural-color switch requires heavy investment. Converting its roughly $100 million North American synthetic food color business to natural colors needs more research, extra production capacity and a stronger supply chain. If execution falls short, that spending may not pay off.
- Tough competition from giants and specialists. Rivals range from large multinationals with deep technology to focused regional firms. Sensient says it does lose business to competitors at times, and competition can cut both sales and prices.
- Rivals' patents can limit Sensient's products. Some rivals have patented, or applied to patent, technology relevant to Sensient's products. That can narrow what it offers or raise the risk of an infringement lawsuit, pushing customers toward competitors.
- Unpredictable US policy and global turmoil. With long-term sales and supply contracts worldwide, Sensient says rapid, hard-to-predict US policy changes make international planning difficult. Inflation, interest rates and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have already hurt results.
- Leans on borrowing and credit markets. Sensient uses credit markets for funding beyond what its cash flow provides. As of June 30, 2026, it had $764 million of debt and $31 million in cash, so a credit squeeze could hurt.
Recent events
- Quarterly results released; Investor presentation or announcement
- Major agreement signed; New debt or financial obligation
- Quarterly results released; Investor presentation or announcement
- Major agreement signed; New debt or financial obligation
- Shareholder vote results
- Quarterly results released; Investor presentation or announcement
- Quarterly results released; Investor presentation or announcement
- Bylaws or fiscal year changed
- Quarterly results released; Investor presentation or announcement
For income and retirement investors
Sensient pays a dividend, but it has grown slowly. The regular dividend was $1.64 per share in each fiscal year from 2022 through 2025, up from $1.56 in 2020, or about 1% growth a year. In fiscal 2025 the dividend used 52% of earnings but 181% of free cash flow (cash left after capital spending). Free cash flow fell to $38 million from $98 million in fiscal 2024. Buybacks were small, totaling $43 million over fiscal 2021–2025, and the share count rose about 1% from July 2021 to July 2026. The yield was 1.25% as of October 28, 2026.
In past downturns the shares fell 42% from June 2008 to March 2009 and recovered in just over a year. They fell 28% in the 2020 COVID crash and recovered in under four months. In the 2022 bear market they fell 30% and took about 31 months, until April 2025, to regain their peak. Single stocks carry more risk than diversified funds.
Questions investors ask
How does Sensient Technologies make money?
Sensient makes money by selling colors, flavors and other specialty ingredients to companies that make food, drinks, medicines, supplements and personal-care products. Revenue was $1.61 billion in fiscal 2025, which ended December 31, 2025. The Flavors & Extracts Group brought in about 49%, the Color Group about 44% and the Asia Pacific Group about 10%. By product line, food and pharmaceutical colors and flavors each made up about 33%. Agricultural ingredients such as dehydrated onion and garlic made up 16%, and personal care about 11%.
Does Sensient raise its dividend every year?
No. Sensient paid a regular dividend of $1.64 per share in each fiscal year from 2022 through 2025, so it had no streak of annual increases. From fiscal 2020 to 2025 the dividend grew only about 1% a year. The yield was 1.25% as of October 28, 2026. In fiscal 2025, dividends used about 52% of earnings. But the $70 million paid out was well above free cash flow (cash left after capital spending) of $38 million.
How does the switch to natural food colors affect Sensient?
Sensient sees the US move away from synthetic food dyes as a major opportunity. Its fiscal 2025 report said state laws, Trump administration support and pledges by several major US food companies sped up the shift. It also said it was speeding up the conversion of its roughly $100 million North American synthetic color business to natural colors. Matching a synthetic shade usually takes much more natural color, which can mean larger volumes. It also requires significant spending on research, production capacity and supply chains.
How much debt does Sensient Technologies have?
Sensient had $764 million of total debt and $31 million of cash and investments as of June 30, 2026. That leaves net debt (debt minus cash) of about $733 million. Shareholders' equity was $1.26 billion and total assets were $2.37 billion. In June and September 2026, the company reported signing major agreements that created new debt or financial obligations. Its annual report says it relies on credit markets for cash beyond what its own cash flow provides.
What is Sensient's P/E ratio?
Sensient's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio was 41.6 as of October 28, 2026, based on fiscal 2025 diluted earnings of $3.16 per share. That means investors were paying about $42 for each $1 of those annual earnings, for a market value of about $5.6 billion. The share price had risen 41.6% in 2026 through October 28. Earnings were growing: net income for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, was up 36.6% from a year earlier, and revenue rose 11.6%.