Sensient Technologies Corp (NYSE: SXT)

Sector: Basic Materials Industry: Specialty Chemicals CIK: 0000310142
Market Cap 4.77 Bn
P/B 5.25
P/E 52.50
P/S 4.03
ROIC (Qtr) 8.18
Div Yield % 1.19
Rev 1y % (Qtr) 4.97
Total Debt (Qtr) 711.95 Mn
Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.60

About

Sensient Technologies Corporation (SXT), a company that has been in operation since 1882, is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of colors, flavors, and other specialty ingredients. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, SXT operates in three reportable segments: Flavors & Extracts, Color, and Asia Pacific. Sensient Technologies Corporation's main business activities involve the production and sale of a wide range of products, including flavors, extracts, essential oils, natural and synthetic food and beverage colors, personal care colors...

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Price action

Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Healthy cash reserves of 42.67M provide 54.92x coverage of short-term debt 777000, demonstrating strong liquidity position and minimal refinancing risk.
  • Operating cash flow of 104.65M fully covers other non-current liabilities 84.52M by 1.24x, showing strong long-term stability.
  • Tangible assets of 1.76B provide robust 15.99x coverage of other current liabilities 110.03M, indicating strong asset backing.
  • Retained earnings of 1.84B provide full 2.59x coverage of long-term debt 711.18M, indicating strong internal capital position.
  • Retained earnings of 1.84B provide strong 16.71x coverage of other current liabilities 110.03M, indicating earnings quality.

Bear case

  • Operating cash flow of 104.65M barely covers its investment activities of (83.01M), with a coverage ratio of -1.26, indicating heavy reliance on external financing for growth which may not be sustainable in a tighter credit environment.
  • With cash reserves of 42.67M against inventory of 653.72M, the 0.07 cash-to-inventory ratio suggests potential liquidity risks if inventory turnover slows, particularly concerning given current supply chain volatilities.
  • Operating cash flow of 104.65M provides thin coverage of dividend payments of (69.56M) with a -1.50 ratio, suggesting potential dividend sustainability issues if operational performance deteriorates.
  • Cash reserves of 42.67M provide limited coverage of acquisition spending of (4.87M), which is -8.77x, suggesting aggressive expansion might strain liquidity if market conditions deteriorate.
  • Free cash flow of 24.14M provides weak coverage of capital expenditures of 80.51M, with a 0.30 ratio suggesting additional external financing needs for growth initiatives.

Products and Services Breakdown of Revenue (2020)

Peer comparison

Companies in the Specialty Chemicals
S.No. Ticker Company Market Cap P/E P/S Total Debt (Qtr)
1 LIN Linde Plc 218.63 Bn 38.41 6.61 25.93 Bn
2 SHW Sherwin Williams Co 110.34 Bn 170.54 11.54 13.58 Bn
3 ECL Ecolab Inc. 80.35 Bn 80.18 5.93 8.67 Bn
4 APD Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. 56.37 Bn 48.29 5.86 18.31 Bn
5 PPG Ppg Industries Inc 34.00 Bn 31.05 2.58 7.91 Bn
6 LYB LyondellBasell Industries N.V. 17.46 Bn 5.03 0.49 13.22 Bn
7 DD DuPont de Nemours, Inc. 16.63 Bn 3.65 0.32 8.90 Bn
8 ALB Albemarle Corp 14.44 Bn 48.94 6.36 3.63 Bn

Industry comparisons

Current Valuation Value Ind Avg Percentile
EV to Assets EV to Assets 2.36 1.52
EV to Cash from Ops. EV/CFO 43.77 12.52
EV to Debt EV to Debt 7.33 13.65
EV to EBIT EV/EBIT 33.28 21.45
EV to EBITDA EV/EBITDA 25.93 14.82
EV to Free Cash Flow [EV/FCF] EV/FCF 75.48 29.24
EV to Market Cap EV to Market Cap 1.09 3.84
EV to Revenue EV/Rev 4.41 89.11
Price to Book Value [P/B] P/B 5.25 5.48
Price to Earnings [P/E] P/E 52.50 16.02
Dividend Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Dividend Coverage Ratio Div Coverage (Qtr) 2.00 -5.31
Dividend Payout Ratio % Div Payout % (Qtr) 49.70 -75.74
Dividend per Basic Share Div per Share (Qtr) 1.23 1.25
FCF Dividend Payout Ratio % FCF Div Payout % (Qtr) 215.41 23.50
Interest Coverage Int. cover (Qtr) 7.42 -8.92
Growth Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Capex Growth (1y) % Capex 1y % (Qtr) -44.10 -1.67
Cash and Equivalents Growth (1y) % Cash & Equiv 1y % (Qtr) 15.42 72.99
Dividend Growth (1y) % Div 1y % (Qtr) -25.00 -3.00
EBIAT Growth (1y) % EBIAT 1y % (Qtr) 47.98 -31.21
EBITDA Growth (1y) % EBITDA 1y % (Qtr) 25.16 51.49
EBIT Growth (1y) % EBIT 1y % (Qtr) 33.80 0.57
EBT Growth (1y) % EBT 1y % (Qtr) 41.76 -80.35
EPS Growth (1y) % EPS 1y % (Qtr) 57.14 -90.82
FCF Growth (1y) % FCF 1y % (Qtr) -83.09 -50.40
Gross Profit Growth (1y) % Gross Profit 1y % (Qtr) 9.82 219.02
Liquidity Ratios Value Ind Avg Percentile
Asset Utilization Ratio Asset Util Ratio (Qtr) 0.72 0.70
Cash Payout Ratio Cash Payout (Qtr) 0.38 0.41
Cash Ratio Cash Ratio (Qtr) 0.18 1.28
Current Ratio Curr Ratio (Qtr) 4.59 3.42
Debt to Equity Ratio Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.60 0.92
Interest Cover Ratio Int Coverage (Qtr) 7.42 -8.92
Times Interest Earned Times Interest Earned (Qtr) 7.42 -8.92
Profitability Value Ind Avg Percentile
EBITDA Margin % EBITDA Margin % (Qtr) 17.10 -333.97
EBIT Margin % EBIT Margin % (Qtr) 13.22 -374.34
EBT Margin % EBT Margin % (Qtr) 11.44 -379.75
Gross Margin % Gross Margin % (Qtr) 33.60 29.26
Net Profit Margin % Net Margin % (Qtr) 8.70 -380.67