EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 310142
Filing Year: 2021
Filename: 310142_10-K_2021_0001140361-21-005623.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Item 1. Business
General
Sensient Technologies Corporation (the Company) was incorporated under the laws of the State of Wisconsin in 1882. Its principal executive offices are located at 777 East Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1100, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202-5304, telephone (414) 271-6755.
The Company is subject to the informational and reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). In accordance with the Exchange Act, the Company files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements, and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission). These reports and other information may be accessed from the website maintained by the Commission at http://www.sec.gov.
The Company can also be reached at its website at www.sensient.com. The Company’s web address is provided as an inactive textual reference only, and the contents of that website are not incorporated in or otherwise to be regarded as part of this report. The Company makes available free of charge on its website its proxy statement, its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after such documents are electronically filed with or furnished to the Commission. Charters for the Audit, Compensation and Development, Nominating and Corporate Governance, Finance, and Executive Committees of the Company’s Board of Directors, as well as the Company’s Code of Conduct, Corporate Governance Guidelines, Policy on Recovery of Incentive Compensation From Executives, and Directors and Executive Officers Stock Ownership Guidelines are also available on the Company’s website. These documents are also available in print to any shareholder, free of charge, upon request. If there are any amendments to the Code of Conduct, or if waivers from it are granted for executive officers or directors, those amendments or waivers also will be posted on the Company’s website.
Description of Business
The Company is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of colors, flavors, and other specialty ingredients. The Company uses advanced technologies and robust global supply chain capabilities to develop specialized solutions for food and beverages, as well as products that serve the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic, and personal care industries. The Company’s customers range in size from small entrepreneurial businesses to major international manufacturers representing some of the world’s best-known brands.
The Company’s principal products (excluding the anticipated divestiture of its fragrances product line) include:
● flavors, flavor enhancers, ingredients, extracts, and bionutrients;
● essential oils;
● natural ingredients, including dehydrated vegetables and other food ingredients;
● natural and synthetic food and beverage colors;
● cosmetic colors and ingredients;
● pharmaceutical and nutraceutical excipients and ingredients; and
● technical colors, specialty colors, and specialty dyes and pigments.
For 2020, the Company’s three reportable segments were the Flavors & Extracts Group and the Color Group, which are managed on a product basis, and the Asia Pacific Group, which is managed on a geographic basis. During 2020, the Company changed the name of its Flavors & Fragrances Group to the Flavors & Extracts Group in order to more accurately reflect the group’s product portfolio. The Company’s corporate expenses, divestiture & other related costs and income, share-based compensation, and restructuring and other charges including operational improvement plan costs, and certain other costs are included in the “Corporate & Other” category as described in this report. Financial information regarding the Company’s three reportable segments and the operations included within Corporate & Other is set forth in Note 12, Segment and Geographic Information, in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report.
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Divestitures
On June 30, 2020, the Company completed the sale of its inks product line, which was included in the Color Group. In 2020, the Company received $11.6 million of net cash for the sale of the product line and expects to receive additional cash when it completes certain post-closing asset sales.
On September 18, 2020, the Company completed the sale of its yogurt fruit preparations product line, which was included in the Flavors & Extracts Group, for $1.0 million. The sale included an earn-out agreement based on future performance, which could result in additional cash consideration for the Company.
On November 23, 2020, the Company announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to sell its fragrances product line (excluding its essential oils product line). The Company expects the transaction to be finalized in the first half of 2021.
Flavors & Extracts Group
The Company is a global developer, manufacturer, and supplier of flavor and fragrance systems for the food, beverage, personal care, and household-products industries. The Company’s flavor formulations are used in many of the world’s best-known consumer products. Under the unified brand names of Sensient Flavors, Sensient Natural Ingredients, and Sensient Fragrances, the Group is a supplier to multinational and regional companies. As noted above, the Company has announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to divest Sensient Fragrances while retaining its essential oils product line. During the third quarter of 2020, the Company divested its yogurt fruit preparations product line.
Through 2020, the Flavors & Extracts Group produced flavor and fragrance products that impart a desired taste, texture, aroma, and/or other characteristics to a broad range of consumer and other products. This Group includes the Company’s natural ingredients business, which produces ingredients for food processors. The main products of the Group are systems products, including flavor-delivery systems, and compounded and blended products. In addition, the Group has strong positions in selected ingredient products such as essential oils, natural and synthetic flavors, and natural extracts. The Group serves food and non-food industries. In food industries, markets include savory, beverage, and sweet flavors, as well as certain bioingredients. Through 2020, in non-food industries, the Group supplied fragrances and essential oil products to the personal, home-care, and bioingredients markets. After the anticipated divestiture of the fragrances product line, the Group would still produce and supply essential oils to the personal care market.
Operating through its Sensient Natural Ingredients business, the Company believes it is the second largest producer (by sales) of dehydrated onion and garlic products in the United States. The Company is also one of the largest producers and distributors of chili powder, paprika, chili pepper, and dehydrated vegetables such as parsley, celery, and spinach. The Company sells dehydrated products to food manufacturers for use as ingredients and also for repackaging under private labels for sale to the retail market and to the food service industry. The advanced dehydration technologies utilized by Sensient Natural Ingredients permit fast and effective rehydration of ingredients used in many of today’s popular convenience foods.
As of December 31, 2020, the Group’s principal manufacturing plants are located in California, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Belgium, China, Costa Rica, Mexico, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Color Group
The Company is a developer, manufacturer, and supplier of colors for businesses worldwide. The Company provides natural and synthetic color systems for use in foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceuticals; colors and other ingredients for cosmetics, such as active ingredients, solubilizers, and surface treated pigments; pharmaceutical and nutraceutical excipients, such as colors, flavors, coatings, and nutraceutical ingredients; and technical colors for industrial applications.
The Company believes that it is one of the world’s largest producers (by sales) of synthetic and natural colors, and that it is the world’s largest manufacturer (by sales) of certified food colors. The Company sells its synthetic and natural colors to domestic and international producers of beverages, bakery products, processed foods, confections, pet foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Through 2020, the Company also made industrial colors, and other dyes and pigments used in a variety of non-food applications. After the divestiture of the inks product line in the second quarter of 2020, the Company no longer sells specialty inks.
As of December 31, 2020, the Group’s principal manufacturing plants are located in Missouri, New Jersey, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Peru, and the United Kingdom.
The Color Group operates under the following trade names:
● Sensient Food Colors (food and beverage colors);
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● Sensient Pharmaceutical Coating Systems (pharmaceutical and nutraceutical colors and coatings);
● Sensient Cosmetic Technologies (cosmetic colors, ingredients, and systems); and
● Sensient Industrial Colors (paper colors; and industrial colors for plastics, leather, wood stains, antifreeze, landscaping, and other uses).
The Company believes that its advanced process technology, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and equipment, world-class application chemists, and a complete range of synthetic and natural color products constitute the basis for its market leadership position.
Asia Pacific Group
The Asia Pacific Group focuses on marketing the Company’s diverse product lines in the Pacific Rim under the Sensient name. Through these operations, the Company offers a full range of products from its Flavors & Extracts Group and Color Group as well as products developed by regional technical teams to appeal to local preferences.
Sales, marketing, and technical functions are managed through the Asia Pacific Group’s headquarters, which is located in Singapore. Manufacturing operations are located in Australia, China, India, Japan, Thailand, New Zealand, and the Philippines, with sales offices also located in the India and Thailand facilities. The Asia Pacific Group maintains additional offices for local technical support as well as sales in China and Indonesia, and for research and development in Singapore.
Corporate
Corporate provides management, administrative, and support services to the Company from its headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Company’s corporate expenses, divestiture & other related costs, share-based compensation, restructuring and other charges including operational improvement plan costs, and other costs, are included in the “Corporate & Other” category.
Research and Development/Quality Assurance
The development of specialized products and services is a complex technical process calling upon the combined knowledge and talents of the Company’s research, development, and quality assurance personnel. The Company believes that its competitive advantage lies in its ability to work with its customers to develop and deliver high-performance products that address the distinct needs of those customers.
The Company’s research, development, and quality assurance personnel support the Company’s efforts to improve existing products and develop new products tailored to customer needs, while providing on-going technical support and know-how to the Company’s manufacturing activities. The Company employed 738 people in research and development, quality assurance, quality control, and lab technician positions as of December 31, 2020.
As part of its commitment to quality as a competitive advantage, the Company’s production facilities hold various certifications, such as those under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and those recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), including the Safe Quality Food Program (SQF), British Retail Consortium (BRC), and Food Safety System Certification (FSSC 22000), for certifying the safety and quality of its products and production processes.
Products and Application Activities
The Company’s strategic focus is on the manufacture and marketing of high-performance components that bring life to products. Accordingly, the Company devotes considerable attention and resources to the development of product applications and processing improvements to support its customers’ numerous new and reformulated products. The majority of the proprietary processes and formulae developed by the Company are maintained as trade secrets and protected through internal physical and information technology controls and confidentiality agreements with customers.
Within the Flavors & Extracts Group, development activity is focused on ingredients, flavors, natural extracts, and essential oils as well as flavor systems that are responsive to consumer trends and the processing needs of our food and beverage customers. These activities include the development of functional ingredient systems for foods and beverages, savory flavors, and ingredient systems for prepared foods and flavors and ingredients for dairy, confectionery, and other applications. The Company believes that the development of yeast derivatives and other specialty ingredients also provides growth opportunities in bionutrients and biotechnology markets, such as probiotics and fermented ingredients, including enzymes, vitamins, and amino acids.
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Within the Color Group, development activity for food and beverage product lines is focused on value-added products derived from synthetic dyes and pigments, natural food and beverage colors, and color systems. The Company also produces a diverse line of colors and ingredients for cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical applications, and technical colors for industrial applications.
Raw Materials
The Company uses a wide range of raw materials in producing its products. Chemicals used to produce certified colors are obtained from several domestic and foreign suppliers. Raw materials for natural colors, such as carmine, beta-carotene, annatto, and turmeric, are purchased from overseas and U.S. sources. As of March 2018, the Company owns a natural food colorings business in Lima, Peru, and has vertically integrated production and processing capacity in annatto, carmine, and other natural color products.
In the production of flavors and fragrances, the principal raw materials include essential oils, aroma chemicals, botanicals, fruits, and juices. These raw materials are obtained from domestic and foreign suppliers. Flavor enhancers and secondary flavors are produced from brewers’ yeast and vegetable materials such as corn and soybeans. Chili peppers, onion, garlic, and other vegetables are acquired under annual contracts with numerous growers in the western United States and China.
The Company believes that its ability to reformulate its products and the general availability of alternate sources of materials would generally enable it to maintain its competitive position in the event of an interruption in the supply of raw materials from a single supplier.
Competition
All Company products are sold in highly competitive markets. While no single factor is determinative, the Company’s competitive position is based principally on process and applications expertise, quality, technological advances resulting from its research and development, and customer service and support. Because of its highly differentiated products, the Company competes with only a few companies across multiple product lines and generally encounters different competitors in different product lines.
• Flavors & Extracts. Competition in the flavors, extracts, and fragrances industries continues to have an ever-increasing global nature. Most of the Company’s customers do not buy their entire flavor and/or fragrance products from a single supplier and the Company does not compete with a single supplier in all product categories. Competition for the supply of flavors, extracts, and essential oils is based on the development of customized ingredients for new and reformulated customer products, as well as on quality, customer service, and price. Competition to supply dehydrated vegetable products is present through several large and small domestic competitors as well as competitors from other countries. Competition for the supply of dehydrated vegetables is based principally on product quality, customer service, and price.
• Color. Competition in the color market is diverse, with the majority of the Company’s competitors specializing in either synthetic dyes and pigments or natural colors or coloring foodstuffs (in Europe). The Company believes that it gains a competitive advantage as the only major basic manufacturer of a full range of color products, including synthetic dyes and pigments as well as natural colors. Competition in the supply of cosmetic colors and ingredients, and pharmaceutical and nutraceutical ingredients and excipients is based on the development of customized products and solutions as well as quality, customer service, and price. The Company believes that its reputation and capacity as a color producer as well as its product development and applications expertise give it a competitive advantage in these markets.
• Asia Pacific. The Company offers a broad array of products to customers through the Asia Pacific Group. Competition is based upon reliability in product quality, service, and price as well as technical support available to customers.
Foreign Operations
Additional information regarding the Company’s foreign operations is set forth in Note 12, Segment and Geographic Information in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report.
Patents, Formulae, and Trademarks
The Company owns or controls many patents, formulae, and trademarks related to its businesses. The businesses are not materially dependent upon any particular patent, trademark, or formula; however, trademarks, patents, and formulae are important to the business of the Company.
Human Capital
As of December 31, 2020, the Company employed 3,948 persons worldwide. Approximately 41% of our employees were employed in the United States and approximately 59% were employed outside of the United States. Of our 3,948 employees worldwide, we had 513 general administration employees (e.g., accounting, administrative, regulatory compliance, IT, human resources, etc.), 2,463 production employees, 440 research and development employees, and 532 sales and marketing employees.
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We believe that our future success is dependent upon our continued ability to attract, retain, and motivate successful employees. Our Board of Directors oversees our human capital management program, in consultation with our CEO and Vice President, Human Resources. The Board also has routine contact with all Company officers and periodically receives presentations from the Group Presidents and Vice Presidents as well as select General Managers.
Talent Acquisition and Talent Development
We are committed to the recruitment, retention, and continued development of people who thrive and succeed in our culture. In furtherance of this goal, our primary areas of focus remain: (i) talent acquisition, (ii) on-boarding, (iii) development and retention, and (iv) integrity and professionalism. As part of the Company’s effort to attract and motivate employees, we offer compensation and comprehensive benefits that we believe are competitive in the markets in which our employees work and in our industry. We also have a dedicated internal talent acquisition team, with deep knowledge of our Company and our core values, in order to help us find the best prospective employees for open positions worldwide. We hold ourselves accountable to filling open roles expeditiously by closely monitoring and limiting days to fill open roles. We also challenge ourselves to take a broad view of talent acquisition, regularly seeking talent from non-traditional backgrounds and from outside our industry. With our sales roles, we have implemented a gamified AI-based platform to identify sales candidates, without bias, who share the behavioral and cognitive attributes of our most successful sales people from around the world.
After hiring a candidate, we believe that an effective on-boarding is a critical factor in whether a new employee succeeds or fails. We continue to develop, and improve upon, an effective on-boarding process to differentiate ourselves from our competitors and help enable our employees to succeed. We generally track our progress through weekly pre-hire team on-boarding calls, new hire surveys (for which we had over a 95% completion rate in 2020), new hire interviews, business unit scorecards on fundamental on-boarding activities, and a monthly report of our results to senior leadership. We also have regular 1:1 meetings between non-production employees and their supervisors.
In order to continue to develop and retain our key talent, we offer training programs based upon the employee’s role in the Company. We also maintain personalized career planning, ongoing coaching and development by Corporate and local leadership, and a “High Potential Program,” which ensures our key talent learns from and gains exposure to senior leadership. Performance reviews and succession planning occur company-wide on an annual basis. Individual goals are set annually for each employee, which flow from the Company strategy, and attainment of those goals is an element of the employee’s performance assessment. We invest in our development programs for high-impact roles, such as our General Manager in Training, Sales Representative Trainee, and Flavorist Trainee programs. We continue to “promote-from-within” and provide opportunities for our internal employees to grow their careers, with over half of our senior leadership and over half of our business unit leaders previously having been promoted to their current role from within the Company. We closely monitor turnover overall and in critical roles to vet our retention efforts and identify areas of need for future investment.
Our Corporate Creed, set forth at the beginning of our Code of Conduct, sets forth three non-negotiable rules: (1) Always tell the truth; (2) Always produce safe, high-quality products in safe and secure facilities; and (3) Always be professional. Employees throughout the organization know these expectations as the “Three Rules.” Under the Three Rules, all of our employees are expected to exhibit and promote integrity and professionalism in the workplace. All of our employees must adhere to these non-negotiable expectations for appropriate behavior. We perform annual, company-wide training on our Code of Conduct, as well as for all new hires. The CEO personally provides instruction on the Three Rules during leadership training conducted each year throughout the organization. To further reinforce our expectations, the CEO internally publishes anonymized quarterly reports of Code of Conduct violations and their consequences. In addition, we strictly apply principles of non-discrimination, which are foundational to our non-negotiable expectations of integrity and professionalism, in all employment-related decisions.
Health and Safety
We take pride in our strong and continually improving health and safety programs, which we view as important aspects of our economic health and core values. We expect each employee to actively participate in and contribute to this philosophy. Examples of actions taken to demonstrate our commitment and progress toward achieving our goal of providing a safe workplace include: (i) Corporate Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Department oversight of safety and compliance matters at all Company facilities; (ii) periodic EHS audits conducted at Company facilities by third parties at the direction of the Corporate Legal Department to determine the state of facility compliance with applicable safety laws and regulations; (iii) implementation of “best-practice” programs and management systems across all business units worldwide; (iv) ongoing capital investments aimed at continually improving standards for environment, health, and safety in each of our plants around the world; (v) meaningful use of metrics to apply leading and lagging indicators toward incremental improvement and sustainable results; (vi) regular communication and engagement with employees on safety topics through safety committee meetings, plant-wide communication meetings, and “tool box” meetings; and (vii) root cause analysis of all injuries and near misses to ensure that lessons learned can be applied across the entire organization.
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We manufacture products deemed essential to the critical infrastructure, and as a result, all of our production sites (other than brief government mandated shutdowns in China and India) continued operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have invested in creating physically safe work environments for our employees as they continued to work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Examples of such actions taken, which were overseen by the Board of Directors, include:
• Implemented and regularly updated a company-wide COVID-19 policy, which includes (i) information regarding COVID-19, its symptoms, how to prevent its transmission, and what to do if you may or do have COVID-19; (ii) requirements around hygiene, sanitation, and social distancing; (iii) travel restrictions; and (iv) expectations of employees working remotely;
• CEO video messages regularly shown to entire workforce discussing expectations around illness prevention, hygiene, sanitation, social distancing, and elevating issues to the CEO;
• Implemented and continually updated an “Are You Sick” Flow Chart (under the guidance of Director Dr. Donald Landry) setting forth a simple summary of required actions when an employee feels ill or may have had possible exposure to COVID-19;
• Purchase, distribution, and use of Corporate-sponsored COVID-19 test kits (PCR-based) with next day results in most locations to ensure business continuity and employee peace of mind;
• Initiated a plan to proactively test employees to reduce the possibility of outbreaks and to instill a confidence in our employees;
• Employee and visitor prescreening temperature check and symptom questionnaire;
• Checklist for contact tracing, proactive cleaning, and work-relatedness assessment;
• Decontamination and sanitation protocols, including enhanced, regular cleaning of work areas;
• Protective on-site measures to prevent transmission, such as very early adoption of face coverings; employee and visitor health screenings; manufacture and provision of hand sanitizer; reconfiguration of work areas to maximize distance between employees; installation of plexiglass barriers; mandatory spacing in break rooms, conference rooms, and common areas; controlled traffic patterns to maximize distance; alternative work and break schedules; use of video conferencing; reduction of “high touch” areas; and signage in offices and facilities concerning hygiene;
• Rapid conversion to remote work during lockdowns and case surges for employees capable of performing work from home;
• “Return to Office” checklist to ensure safe transition of employees back to office setting;
• Use of Quality team to audit effectiveness of sanitation efforts in production and non-production areas, including office spaces, breakrooms, and laboratories;
• In-house production of sanitizer;
• Developed a COVID-19 Response and Preparedness Plan template for local implementation;
• Notification to employees when positive cases in the local workforce occur;
• Designated key contacts leading COVID-19 response at local and Corporate level;
• Prohibited non-essential travel;
• Adjusted attendance rules for COVID-related absences to ensure employees stay home if sick;
• Reasonable accommodation of employees at high risk for developing a severe case of COVID-19;
• Disciplinary action for employees violating social distancing and mask rules;
• COVID-19 in-house testing tracker to monitor COVID-19 testing and test kit inventory; and
• Global COVID-19 tracker to monitor positive cases, quarantined employees, and other COVID-related absenteeism.
Regulation
The production, packaging, labeling, and distribution of certain of the products of the Company in the U.S. are subject to the regulations of various federal, state, and local governmental agencies, in particular the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Company is subject to similar regulations in many international markets, particularly Europe. Compliance with government rules regulating discharges into the environment, or otherwise relating to the protection of the environment, did not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s operations for the year covered by this report. Current compliance is not expected to have a material adverse effect in the next two years.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
As with any business, the Company’s business and operations involve risks and uncertainties. In addition to the other discussions in this report, particularly those under the headings “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” below and “Forward-Looking Statements” above, the following factors should be considered:
Business Risks
• The Coronavirus/COVID-19 could adversely affect our results and financial condition.
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The Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has, and is expected to continue to, adversely affect most of the world, including through widespread illness, quarantines, factory shutdowns, and travel and transportation restrictions. These disruptions present numerous risks to our operations, including through the uncertainty regarding the severity and duration of COVID-19 or spikes in the number of COVID-19 cases in areas in which we operate.
We may be unable to produce goods due to constraints in production caused by our factories being ordered to close; our inability to obtain raw materials due to shortages, transportation disruptions, or supplier shutdowns; or due to illnesses and quarantines affecting our workforce. Any of these events could adversely affect our ability to produce and sell our products, resulting in reduced revenue.
In late December 2020, the government in Guangzhou, China, ordered our facility to be shut down for five days after an inspector allegedly detected the coronavirus in a raw material obtained from a supplier in India. During the Chinese New Year in 2020, the Chinese government ordered us (along with other companies) to shut down our manufacturing facilities for approximately ten days, where we make food colors, cosmetic ingredients, flavors, and dehydrated garlic and onion for the Chinese and other Asian markets. Additionally, in 2020, our facility in India, where we make food and personal care products, was shut down for several days after the Indian government ordered a nationwide lockdown (that facility subsequently began operating again several days later after it was designated as part of the critical infrastructure for India). These shutdowns did not have a material impact on our results for Asia Pacific, but additional shutdowns or other government actions could adversely affect our results.
While all of our manufacturing facilities currently remain open because they have been designated as part of the critical infrastructure of the countries in which they operate (food and/or chemical production), these designations could be changed or modified in the future, resulting in a partial or total shutdown of one or more of our facilities. Such shutdowns could adversely affect our results. Even if our facilities are allowed to remain open, an outbreak of illness among employees at any of our facilities could result in a temporary or prolonged manufacturing disruption or facility closure. Additionally, changes in governmental policies could also affect our ability to operate our facilities.
Even if we can produce our products, we may not be able to ship them on time due to transportation disruptions. In addition, due to travel restrictions and customer shutdowns, we may not be able to continue sales efforts with some new and existing customers. Even where we can produce our products, offer our products for sale, and deliver them, our customers may not be able to fully operate their production facilities due to shutdowns or their inability to obtain other raw materials necessary to produce their products, which may result in less demand for our products. Customers may also face transportation disruptions for their products, which could reduce customers’ sales and, therefore, customers’ demand for our products. Additionally, many customers have and may continue to cancel or delay new product introductions due to the uncertainties created by COVID-19. Such events could adversely affect our results.
Social disruptions such as widespread illness, quarantines, unemployment, and general anxiety could also reduce consumer demand for the products our customers make. This would result in less demand for our products and could adversely affect our results. In 2020, we saw a reduction in demand for cosmetics products, certain products used by Quick Service Restaurants customers, and certain confectionary and other food products, all of which we believe was substantially caused by COVID-19 quarantines and travel restrictions. While most of our workforce continues to work on site, we may face heightened cybersecurity risks as a result of increased cybercriminal activity during a social disruption and if a larger portion of our workforce is required to work remotely again in the event of new quarantines. While we take substantial steps (including in our remote work environment) to protect the information related to our formulas, research and development, manufacturing processes, trade secrets, sales, products, customers, personnel, and other operations through cybersecurity systems, monitoring, auditing, and training, these efforts may not always be successful.
Overall, governmental and social responses to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to evolve. In particular, there continues to be uncertainty related to the timing and extent of vaccination programs, as well as the impacts of new COVID-19 variants, and we expect that the situation will remain dynamic and difficult to predict for the foreseeable future. There can be no assurance that our experience to date with respect to facility operations, customer demand, the availability of supplies and transportation, and other factors impacting our results and financial condition will be predictive of the ongoing impacts in the short or long term. Even as stay-home orders and quarantines are eventually lifted, it is difficult to predict how economic conditions and changes in customer and consumer behavior may impact our results over the longer term. As a result of any of the foregoing, our results or financial condition could be adversely impacted and the impacts could be material.
• Intense competition with our competitors may result in reduced sales and profitability.
We develop, manufacture, and sell flavors, flavor enhancers, ingredients, extracts, and bionutrients; essential oils; natural ingredients, including dehydrated vegetables and other food ingredients; natural and synthetic food and beverage colors; cosmetic colors and ingredients; pharmaceutical and nutraceutical excipients and ingredients; and technical colors, specialty colors, and specialty dyes and pigments. We sell these products to customers in industries and markets that are highly competitive. We face intense competition from multiple competitors in each of our business lines. These competitors range from large multinational flavor companies with broad and sophisticated product portfolios and outstanding technological capabilities to smaller more specialized regional companies that focus on a single product line or offering. Our success against these competitors depends upon our ability to continually develop and manufacture safe, high quality, innovative, and legally compliant products across each of our product lines in varying batch sizes, at varying frequencies, and at acceptable prices. We also must provide outstanding product development support, on time delivery, regulatory assistance, and after-sale product support to all of our customers, wherever they are located. If we are unable to do these tasks, or if competitors do any of these tasks better than we do, we may lose part or all of our business with some customers. We do lose business to competitors from time to time. Competition can reduce both our sales and the prices at which we are able to sell our products, which can negatively affect our results.
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• Intense competition among our customers and their competitors may result in reduced sales and profitability for our customers and us.
Generally, we do not sell products directly to consumers. The customers to whom we sell our products incorporate our products into their own products. Our customers face intense competition. This competitive pressure has caused some of the Company’s customers to change or reduce ordering patterns, to resist price increases, to discontinue or reduce existing product offerings, and to introduce fewer new products and reduce or eliminate traditional limited time offerings. Additionally, the commercial outlets for many of our customers are also under intense competitive pressure, which has caused many such commercial outlets to be resistant to price increases from their suppliers. Ultimately, our ability to sell our products to customers depends upon our customers’ ability to succeed against their competitors and to respond effectively to the demands of their own customers. When our customers do not successfully compete, as happens from time to time, it can impact our sales and the prices at which we sell our products, which can negatively affect our results.
• In some product lines, most of our sales are made to a relatively small number of customers; if we lose any of those customers, sales and operating results could decline.
In some of our product lines, our sales are concentrated with a small number of customers. While we do not currently have any single customer that we consider to be significant to us as a whole, the loss of a significant customer for a particular product line could substantially affect the sales and profitability of that line or the business unit that sells that product line, which may cause us to re-evaluate that line. Those developments could negatively affect our results.
• Consolidation has resulted in customers with increased buying power, which can affect our profitability.
Many of our customers have consolidated in recent years and we expect the combination trend to continue in many business lines. These consolidations have often produced large, sophisticated customers with increased buying power who are more capable of resisting price increases. If the larger size or greater buying power of those customers results in additional negotiating strength, the prices we are able to charge could be negatively affected and our profitability could decline.
• Our sales and profitability are affected by changing consumer preferences, changing regulations and technologies, and our ability and our customers’ ability to make and sell to consumers in highly competitive markets.
Although we do not generally make or sell proprietary consumer products, many of our products are sold to companies that develop and market consumer products, either directly or through other commercial and retail outlets. Sales of flavors, colors, cosmetic ingredients, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical excipients and ingredients, and many of our other products depend in part upon our customers’ ability to create and sell products to consumers in highly competitive markets, all of which are beyond our control. Our sales could also be affected by changing regulations or technologies that could impact consumer demand for products that contain our products. Therefore, we depend upon our customers’ ability to create markets for the consumer products that incorporate the products that we manufacture. In addition, if we cannot adequately anticipate and respond to the needs of our customers as they evolve in response to changing consumer preferences, new technologies, and price demands, our results could be adversely affected. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has impacted consumer behavior in numerous ways and it is difficult to predict whether these changes will persist over the long term and how they will impact our customers. Additionally, the market pressures on our customers may adversely affect the willingness of these customers to launch new products, to introduce limited time offerings, and to grow or continue to produce existing product lines. In the past year, we have seen a reduction in new product launches, smaller new product launches, and fewer limited time offerings from some of our customers. Any of these actions by our customers can adversely affect our results.
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• The financial condition of our customers may adversely affect their ability to buy products from us at current levels, to accept price increases, or to pay for products that they have already purchased.
As mentioned above, our customers are under intense pressure in their markets from competitors and as a result of changing consumer preferences. These combined pressures have resulted in some of the Company’s customers entering bankruptcy or receivership during the past 24 months. There is risk that other customers of the Company could enter bankruptcy or receivership in the next 12 months. Once in bankruptcy or receivership, these customers are restricted from paying certain outstanding invoices to the Company until later in the bankruptcy process and even when able to pay, may not be able to pay the full amounts owed. Additionally, financially distressed customers may change or reduce ordering patterns, reduce willingness to accept price increases, discontinue or reduce existing product offerings, and introduce fewer new products. Those developments could adversely affect our results.
• If we do not maintain an efficient cost structure, our profitability could decrease.
Our success depends in part on our ability to maintain an efficient cost structure. We regularly initiate cost-reduction measures that could impact our manufacturing, sales, operations, and information systems functions. If we do not continue to manage costs and achieve additional efficiencies, or we do not successfully implement related strategies, our competitiveness and our profits could decrease. As discussed above, the price pressures in our markets make such cost reduction efforts particularly important.
• A disruption in our supply chain could adversely affect our profitability.
We generally rely on third party suppliers for various raw materials that we use to make our products. We use many different chemical, natural products, and other commodities as raw material ingredients. We also use raw materials whose production is energy intensive and dependent on successful farming techniques and favorable climatic and environmental conditions. As the demand for natural products continues to grow, these risks associated with agriculture are becoming increasingly important. In addition, we obtain some raw materials from a single supplier or a limited number of suppliers. Disruptions or other issues with those suppliers could affect the availability of those materials. Even if there are multiple suppliers of a particular raw material, there are occasionally shortages. Constrictions in supply of raw materials can lead to increased costs. We may not be able to pass these costs to customers for a variety of reasons, including the fact that some of our competitors may not be subject to the increased costs. Additionally, government regulatory action against any of our suppliers could also cause a supply disruption. For example, within the last 36 months, Chinese regulators shut down suppliers that provided the Company with raw materials used in synthetic colors. This adversely impacted the supply of raw materials for these products and, therefore, impacted our ability to produce products containing these raw materials, which adversely impacted our ability to provide these products at traditional quantities and competitive prices. Any future unavailability or shortage of a raw material, however caused, could negatively affect our operations using that raw material and thus adversely affect our results.
• A disruption in our manufacturing operations could adversely affect our profitability.
We develop, manufacture, and distribute our products around the world. Generally, our labs and plants are dedicated to particular product lines. For example, many (but by no means all) of our food colors products are developed and manufactured in our St. Louis facility. While we have redundant capabilities across labs and plants for many product lines, in some cases we only manufacture particular products at one facility. To establish a new manufacturing capability at a plant would require substantial time, money, and numerous governmental and customer approvals. Additionally, because of the complexity and highly specialized nature of many of the products we produce, it would require a tremendous amount of technical, engineering, and management time and effort to establish the new capability. Manufacturing involves inherent risks such as industrial accidents, environmental events, labor disputes, product quality control issues, safety issues, licensing and regulatory compliance requirements, as well as natural disasters, conflicts, terrorist acts, cyber-attacks, and other events that we cannot control. If one of our development or manufacturing facilities is disrupted or impaired, we could cause a supply disruption to our customers, which could cause short and long-term damage to our customer relationships. Such disruption would have an adverse effect on our financial performance and future growth.
• Our ability to efficiently manage inventory may not be as effective as we anticipate and may adversely impact our performance.
Efficient inventory management is essential to our performance. We must maintain appropriate inventory levels and product mix to meet customer demand, without incurring costs related to storing and holding excess inventory. If our inventory management decisions do not accurately predict demand or otherwise result in excess inventory, as has happened in the past, our financial results may be adversely impacted by markdowns, impairment charges, or other costs related to disposal of excess or obsolete inventory.
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• Commodity, energy, and transportation price volatility may reduce our profitability.
We use various energy sources in our production and distribution processes. Commodity and energy prices are subject to significant volatility caused by market fluctuations, supply and demand, currency fluctuation, production and transportation disruption, disruptive world events, and changes in governmental regulations. Commodity and energy price increases will raise both our raw material costs and operating costs. We may not be able to increase our product prices enough to offset these increased costs. Increasing our prices also may reduce sales volume and related profitability. Additionally, as many areas move away from using carbon-based sources of energy, we would initially anticipate increases in the cost of energy generated from renewable energy sources. While the long-term environment impact of these moves is favorable, the shorter-term impact in increased energy prices could adversely affect our profitability.
• The impact of currency exchange rate fluctuation may negatively affect our results.
We report the results of our foreign operations in the applicable local currency and then translate those results into U.S. dollars at applicable exchange rates. The applicable exchange rates between and among foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar have fluctuated and will continue to do so in the future. These fluctuations have impacted our results of operations in recent periods as discussed below in more detail under the headings “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Such currency exchange rate volatility may also adversely impact our financial condition or liquidity. While we may use forward exchange contracts and foreign currency denominated debt to manage our exposure to foreign exchange risk, such risk management strategies may not be effective and our results of operations could be adversely affected.
• Operating in foreign countries and emerging markets exposes us to increased risks, including economic, political, and international operation risks.
We operate, manufacture, and sell our products and obtain raw materials in many foreign countries and emerging markets. This subjects us to risks that could materially impact our operating results, including: difficulties in staffing and managing foreign personnel in diverse cultures; transportation delays or interruptions; sometimes unpredictable regulatory changes; and the effects of international political developments and political and economic instability. In addition, changes in policies by the United States or foreign governments could negatively affect our operating results due to changes in duties, tariffs, trade regulations, taxes, or limitations on currency or fund transfers. For example, changes in the trade relationship between the U.S. and China as well as potential regulatory actions by the Chinese government may affect the availability and cost of our raw materials and products originating in China, the demand for as well as the supply of our products manufactured in China or containing raw materials from China, and the demand from Chinese customers for our products.
• Brexit may adversely impact the Company’s revenue and profits in the short term and long term.
The United Kingdom (U.K.) left the European Union (E.U.) on January 31, 2020, which is commonly referred to as “Brexit.” On December 24, 2020, the U.K. and E.U. announced that they had entered into a trade and cooperation agreement (the Post-Brexit Trade Deal) on certain aspects of trade and other political issues. On December 31, 2020, the U.K. passed legislation giving effect to the Post-Brexit Trade Deal, with the E.U. expected to formally adopt the agreement in early 2021.
The Company has production facilities, customers, and suppliers in the U.K. Changes resulting from Brexit and the Post-Brexit Trade Deal could subject us to increased risk, including supply disruption, changes in regulatory oversight, and increases in prices, fees, taxes, duties, or tariffs on goods that are sold between the U.K. and the E.U. or those non-E.U. countries that have a trade agreement with the E.U. In addition, uncertainty exists regarding the implementation of the Post-Brexit Trade Deal and whether the U.K. and E.U. will succeed in negotiating terms not addressed or covered by the Post-Brexit Trade Deal.
Changes resulting from Brexit and the Post-Brexit Trade Deal have disrupted our supply chains as our supply chain partners and the trading infrastructure are adapting to requirements resulting from a new border between the U.K. and the E.U. We have also experienced increased delivery times and costs related to the shipping and transportation of raw materials and finished products into and out of the U.K. as a result of Brexit and the Post-Brexit Trade Deal, which we may continue to experience going forward.
In each of the Company’s three U.K. production facilities, a significant portion of the work forces are not U.K. nationals. Following the Post-Brexit Trade Deal, there remains uncertainty regarding the freedom of movement for employees. Complying with new immigration regimes could result in increased costs to the Company.
We are currently in the process of evaluating our own risks and uncertainty related to what financial, trade, regulatory, and legal implications the Post-Brexit Trade Deal could have on our U.K. and European business operations. While we have taken steps to mitigate the effects following the Post-Brexit Trade Deal, these efforts may not be as successful as intended, and we may not be able to avoid the costs and complications described above. Brexit has thus had and may continue to have adverse impacts on our results.
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• The impact of tariffs and other trade barriers may negatively affect our results.
The Company has manufacturing facilities located around the world. The Company sells to customers located both inside and outside the countries in which products are manufactured. The Company also depends upon suppliers both inside and outside the countries in which products are manufactured. Tariffs and other trade barriers imposed by the U.S. or other countries have affected and could continue to adversely affect our manufacturing costs, our ability to source and import raw materials, our ability to export our products to other markets, and our ability to compete successfully against other companies that are not impacted by tariffs to the same extent as the Company. Additionally, the uncertainties created by tariffs and other trade barriers have also affected and could continue to affect our customers’ demand for our products because, for example, the customers decide to delay product launches or destock inventory due to these uncertainties. It is difficult to predict the effects of current or future tariffs and other trade barriers and disputes, and the Company’s efforts to reduce the effects of tariffs through pricing and other measures may not be effective.
• Changes to LIBOR may negatively impact us.
LIBOR, the London interbank offered rate, is the basic rate of interest used in lending between banks on the London interbank market and is widely used as a reference for setting the interest rate on loans globally. We have used LIBOR as a reference rate in our revolving loans, term loans, asset securitization program, and uncommitted credit facilities such that the interest due to our creditors pursuant to these loans is calculated using LIBOR.
LIBOR, in its current form, will cease to exist in the future. LIBOR cessation is expected to occur in 2023; however, there will be early opt in triggers that could trigger a transition to the replacement rate before 2023. We will likely adopt the Alternative Reference Rates Committee’s “hardwired approach,” which clearly specifies the SOFR-based successor rate and spread adjustment to be used when LIBOR ceases to exist, for any agreements that are refinanced or amended prior to the end of 2021. Any agreements that are refinanced or renewed after 2021 will transition to the new reference rate. The consequences of these developments still cannot be entirely predicted, but could result in an increase in the cost of our variable rate debt, which references LIBOR, as a result of applicable margin or reference rate increases. As of December 31, 2020, approximately 20% of our total debt referenced LIBOR. While our policy is to manage our interest rate risk by entering into both fixed and variable rate debt arrangements, we cannot provide assurance that future interest rate changes will not have a material negative impact on our business, financial position, or operating results.
The Company hedges certain foreign currencies using forward contracts which are typically less than fifteen months in length. Certain forward contracts utilize LIBOR as a basis for forward point calculations and may be subject to adjustments when LIBOR ceases to exist. We do not anticipate material impacts as a result of the LIBOR transition on our contracts due to the tenor; however, cannot provide assurance that a transitional rate will be established for the settlement of outstanding contracts when LIBOR ceases to exist.
• World events and natural disasters are beyond our control and could affect our results.
World events can adversely affect national, international, and local economies. Economies can also be affected by conflicts, natural disasters, changes in climate, epidemics, pandemics (including the coronavirus, as discussed in more detail above), or other catastrophic events. Such events and conditions, as well as uncertainty in or impairment of financial markets, have adversely affected and could continue to affect our revenues and profitability, particularly if they occur in locations in which we or our customers have significant operations. In addition, while we have manufacturing facilities throughout the world, certain of our facilities are the sole manufacturer of a specific product and a disruption in manufacturing could lead to increased costs of relocating or replacing the production of a product, or reformulating a product, which could have an adverse effect on our results.
Litigation and Regulatory Risks
• Many of our products are used in items for human consumption and contact. We may be subject to product liability claims and product recalls, which could negatively impact our profitability and corporate image.
We sell flavors, fragrances, and colors that are used in foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, and other items for human consumption or contact. These products involve risks such as product contamination or spoilage, product tampering, product defects, and other adulteration. If the consumption or use of our products causes product damage, injury, illness, or death, we may be subject to liability, including class action lawsuits and other civil and governmental litigation. We are also subject to product liability claims involving products containing diacetyl and related chemicals. From time to time, we or our customers have withdrawn or recalled products in the event of contamination, product defects, or perceived quality problems. If our customers withdraw or recall products related to ingredients that we provide to them, as has occurred in the past, they may make claims against us.
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Although we vigorously defend against claims when they are made, there can be no assurance that any claims or recalls will not be material. While we maintain liability insurance against these risks, coverage may be unavailable or incomplete. A significant product defect, product recall, or product liability judgment can negatively impact our profitability for a period of time depending on the insurance coverage, costs, adverse publicity, product availability, scope, competitive reaction, and consumer attitudes. Even if a product liability claim is unsuccessful or is not fully pursued, the cost of defense and the negative publicity surrounding any assertion that our products caused illness, injury, or death or any recall involving our products could adversely affect our reputation with existing and potential customers and our corporate image and thereby adversely impact our profitability.
• There are an enormous number of laws and regulations applicable to us, our suppliers, and our customers across all of our business lines. Compliance with these legal requirements is costly to us and can affect our operations as well as those of our suppliers and customers. Failure to comply could also be costly and disruptive.
Our facilities and products are subject to many laws and regulations relating to the environment, health, safety, and the content, processing, packaging, storage, distribution, quality, and safety of food, drugs, cosmetics, other consumer products, and industrial colors. These laws and regulations are administered in the United States by the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Labor, and other federal and state governmental agencies. We, our suppliers, and our customers are subject to similar governmental regulation and oversight abroad. Compliance with these laws and regulations can be complex and costly and affect our, our suppliers’, and our customers’ operations. Also, if we, our suppliers, or our customers fail to comply with applicable laws and regulations, we could be subject to administrative penalties and injunctive relief, civil and criminal remedies, fines, recalls of products, and private civil lawsuits. Regulatory action against a supplier or customer can create risk for us and negatively affect our operations. As discussed above, actions by regulatory agencies against us and our suppliers can also adversely impact the availability of raw materials. Anytime raw materials become more costly or unavailable due to legal, regulatory, or other governmental actions our profitability could be adversely impacted.
• Environmental compliance may be costly to us.
Our operations are subject to extensive and stringent laws and regulations that pertain to the discharge of materials into the environment, handling of materials, and disposition of wastes and air emissions. These rules operate or will operate at both the federal and state levels in the United States, and there are analogous laws at most of our overseas locations. Environmental regulations, and the potential failure to comply with them, can have serious consequences, including the costs of compliance and defense; interference with our operations or the ability to obtain required permits; civil, criminal, and administrative penalties; and negative publicity. Additionally, the ability of our suppliers to comply with environmental regulations may cause adverse effects on us by reducing or eliminating the availability of necessary raw materials or increasing the cost of raw materials. These factors might adversely impact our ability to make certain products as well as our profitability on the products that can be made.
• We could be adversely affected by violations of anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws and regulations.
Our business is subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the United Kingdom Bribery Act, and similar anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws and regulations in other countries where we operate. While the Company maintains robust policies to prevent violations of these laws and to monitor third party risks, investigating and resolving actual or alleged violations of anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws is expensive and could negatively impact our results of operations or financial condition. Under these laws, companies may be held liable for the corrupt actions taken by their directors, officers, employees, agents, or other representatives. We could be subject to substantial civil and/or criminal fines and penalties if we or any of our representatives fail to comply with these laws, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and reputation.
• Changes in tax rates or tax laws could expose us to additional tax liabilities that may negatively affect our results.
We are subject to taxes in the U.S. and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Our future effective tax rates could be affected by changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates; changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities; changes in liabilities for uncertain tax positions; the costs of repatriations; or changes in tax laws or their interpretation. Any of these changes could negatively impact our results.
We are also subject to the routine examination of our income tax returns by tax authorities in those countries in which we operate, and we may be subject to assessments or audits in the future in any of these countries. The results of such assessments or audits, if adverse to the Company, could negatively impact our results.
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We have transfer pricing policies that are a significant component of the management and compliance of our operations across international boundaries and overall financial results. Many countries routinely examine transfer pricing policies of taxpayers subject to their jurisdiction, challenge transfer pricing policies aggressively where there is potential non-compliance, and impose significant interest charges and penalties where non-compliance is determined. However, governmental authorities could challenge these policies more aggressively in the future and, if challenged, we may not prevail. We could suffer significant costs related to one or more challenges to our transfer pricing policies.
Structural and Organizational Risks
• We depend on certain key personnel, and the loss of these persons may harm our business, including the loss of trade secrets.
Our success depends in large part on the continued service and availability of our key management and technical personnel, and on our ability to attract and retain qualified new personnel. The competition for these individuals can be significant, and the loss of key employees could harm our business. In addition, we need to provide for smooth transitions when replacing key management and technical personnel positions. Our operations and results may be negatively affected if we are not able to do so. Additionally, many of our key personnel must have access to the Company’s trade secrets to effectively perform their job responsibilities. Although we seek to impose confidentiality, non-solicitation, loyalty, and non-competition obligations on many employees through agreements and our Code of Conduct, these efforts may not be successful. Furthermore, litigation to enforce departing employees’ legal obligations may not be, and has not always been, successful as the legal systems in many jurisdictions disfavor restrictions on an employee’s right to change jobs as well as on preemptive measures to prevent the disclosure of a company’s trade secrets and intellectual property before it occurs. As a result, there is a possibility that certain competitors could attempt to exploit the Company’s trade secrets and confidential information to the Company’s competitive detriment, which could adversely impact our profitability.
• We are exposed to risks associated with our divestitures, which may impact our ability to fully realize the anticipated benefits of those transactions and could result in expenses and charges that are greater than we currently anticipate.
We have previously announced our intent to divest certain product lines. We have now completed the divestiture of our inks and yogurt fruit preparations product lines, and we have entered into an agreement with a buyer to sell our fragrances (excluding the essential oils product line) product line. If the sale of the fragrances product line is not completed in a timely manner, whether delayed by COVID-19 or otherwise, our profitability could be adversely impacted and management could be distracted from the core remaining businesses of the Company. Divestitures also contain inherent risks that may impact our ability to fully realize the benefits of such divestiture, including possible delays in closing, expenses and additional charges that are greater than we currently anticipate, and potential post-closing claims for indemnification. If any of these risks materialize, the benefits of such divestitures may not be fully realized, if at all, and our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be negatively impacted.
Additionally, in connection with the divestiture of our fragrances product line, the buyer notified us that environmental sampling conducted at our Granada, Spain, location identified the presence of contaminants in soil and groundwater in certain areas of the property. Environmental regulations, and the potential failure to comply with them, can have serious consequences, including the costs of compliance, defense, and remediation; interference with our operations or the ability to obtain required permits; civil, criminal, and administrative penalties; and negative publicity. The amount of potential environmental remediation costs and complying with environmental laws associated with our Granada, Spain, location is currently estimated to be $0.8 million; however, the actual final costs may be greater than our estimates and could be material.
• We may not successfully complete and integrate past and future acquisitions, which could adversely affect our operating results.
We have acquired many companies and operations in the past and may continue growth by acquisition in the future. Our future growth through acquisitions could involve significant risks that may have a material adverse effect on us. We may also be at risk for liabilities associated with acquisitions that the Company has made in the past. Acquired companies may have significant latent liabilities that may not be discovered before an acquisition or fully reflected in the price we pay.
We may also need to finance future acquisitions, and the terms of any financing, and the need to ultimately repay or refinance any indebtedness, may have negative effects on us. Acquisitions also could have a dilutive effect on our financial results. Acquisitions also generally result in goodwill, which would need to be written off against earnings in the future if it becomes impaired.
• Our recent restructurings and the operational improvement plan may not be as effective as we anticipated and we may fail to realize the expected cost savings.
From 2014-2017, the Company executed a restructuring plan aimed at eliminating underperforming operations, consolidating manufacturing facilities, and improving efficiencies within the Company. Additionally, in the third quarter of 2020, the Company also began the execution of an operational improvement plan to further consolidate manufacturing facilities and improve efficiencies within the Personal Care business line of the Company. These activities required, and continue to require, the devotion of significant resources and management attention and may pose significant risks. Our ability to realize anticipated cost savings may be affected by a number of factors, including our ability to effectively reduce overhead, rationalize manufacturing capacity, and effectively produce products at the consolidated facilities. Furthermore, our restructurings and the operational improvement plan may not be as effective as we anticipated, and we may fail to realize the cost savings we expected from these restructurings and the operational improvement plan.
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Technology and Cybersecurity Risks
• Our ability to protect our intellectual property rights is key to our performance.
We protect our intellectual property rights as trade secrets, through patents, under confidentiality agreements, and through internal and external physical and cyber security systems. We could incur significant costs in asserting our intellectual property rights or defending ourselves from third party intellectual property claims. The laws of some of the countries in which we operate do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. If other parties were to infringe on our intellectual property rights, or if a third party successfully asserted that we had infringed on their intellectual property rights, it could have an adverse impact on our business.
• Our ability to successfully maintain and upgrade our information technology systems, and to respond effectively to failures, disruptions, compromises, or breaches of our information technology systems, may adversely affect our competitiveness and profitability.
Our success depends in part on our ability to maintain a current information technology platform for our businesses to operate effectively, reliably, and securely. We routinely review and upgrade our information technology and cybersecurity systems in order to better manage, report, and protect the information related to our formulas, research and development, manufacturing processes, trade secrets, sales, products, customers, personnel, and other operations. If we do not continue to maintain our information technology and cybersecurity platforms and successfully implement upgrades to systems to protect our vital information as well as our facilities and IT systems, our competitiveness and profits could decrease. Because of the nature of our business, and the importance of our proprietary information and manufacturing facilities, we face threats not only from hackers’ intent on theft and disruption, but also from malicious insiders that may attempt to steal Company information. Furthermore, our information technology systems may be susceptible to failures, disruptions, breaches, ransomware, theft, employee carelessness in the face of social engineering threats, and other similar cybersecurity events. The impact of any such event and the effectiveness of our response thereto may adversely affect our operations and subject us to lost business opportunities, increased operating costs, regulatory consequences, and reputational harm. While we take substantial steps to protect our information and systems through cyber security systems, monitoring, auditing, and training, these efforts may not always be successful. And, while we maintain liability insurance against these risks, coverage may be unavailable or incomplete.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Item 2. Properties.
We lease our corporate headquarters offices, which are located at 777 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We own our Color Group headquarters offices located in St. Louis, Missouri. We lease our Asia Pacific Group headquarters offices located in Singapore. We own a part, and lease a part, of our Flavors & Extracts Group headquarters offices located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. As of December 31, 2020, the locations of our production properties by reportable segment are as follows:
Color Group:
U.S. - St. Louis, Missouri; and South Plainfield, New Jersey*.
International - Jundiai, Brazil*; Kingston, Ontario, Canada; Saint Ouen L’Aumone, France; Geesthacht, Germany; Reggio Emilia, Italy; Lerma, Mexico; Lima, Peru*; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Kings Lynn, United Kingdom.
Flavors & Extracts Group:
U.S. - Livingston and Turlock, California; Amboy, Illinois; Harbor Beach, Michigan; and Juneau, Wisconsin.
International - Heverlee, Belgium; Qingdao, China*; San Jose, Costa Rica*; Celaya and Tlalnepantla*, Mexico; Granada, Spain; and Wales and Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.
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Asia Pacific Group:
U.S. - None.
International - Keysborough, Australia; Guangzhou, China*; Mumbai, India*; Hitachi, Japan; Auckland, New Zealand; Manila, Philippines*; and Bangkok, Thailand*.
* Indicates a leased property at the location. The Company ended its Qingdao lease in 2020.
All properties are owned except as otherwise indicated above. All facilities are considered to be in good condition (ordinary wear and tear excepted) and suitable and adequate for the Company’s requirements.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
See Part IV, Item 15, Note 16, Commitments and Contingencies, of this report for information regarding legal proceedings in which we are involved.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosure.
Not applicable.
Information About Our Executive Officers
The executive officers of the Company and their ages as of February 20, 2021, are as follows:
Name
Age
Position
Paul Manning
Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Amy M. Agallar
Vice President and Treasurer
Michael C. Geraghty
President, Color Group
Thierry Hoang
Vice President, Asia Pacific Group
Amy Schmidt Jones
Vice President, Human Resources and Senior Counsel
John J. Manning
Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary
E. Craig Mitchell
President, Flavors and Extracts Group
Stephen J. Rolfs
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Tobin Tornehl
Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer
The Company has employed all of the individuals named above, in substantively their current positions, for at least the past five years except as follows:
• Mr. Paul Manning has held his present office since April 21, 2016, and previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer (2014 - April 2016).
• Ms. Agallar has held her present office since January 9, 2019. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Agallar was Director - Business Development CIS of Modine Manufacturing (June 2018 - January 2019), and Director - Global Treasury Operations of Modine Manufacturing (2011- June 2018).
• Mr. Hoang has held his present office since June 1, 2018, and previously served as a General Manager, Business Unit Manager, and Sales Account Manager for Sensient Cosmetics in France and Asia Pacific (2009 - May 2018).
• Ms. Jones has held her present office since April 2, 2018. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Jones was a partner of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP (1998 - March 2018).
• Mr. John J. Manning has held his present office since April 21, 2016, and previously served as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel (2013 - April 2016).
• Mr. Mitchell has held his present office since September 17, 2018. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Mitchell served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Sekisui Specialty Chemical America, LLC (April 2016 - September 2018), and Vice President of Sales, Americas of Celanese Corporation (2013 - April 2016).
• Mr. Tornehl has held his present office since November 10, 2018, and previously served as Director, Finance (2008 - November 2018).
Mr. Paul Manning (Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer) and Mr. John J. Manning (Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary) are brothers.
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PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
Item 5. Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
The Company’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “SXT.” The number of shareholders of record of the Company’s common stock on February 12, 2021 was 2,149.
Since 1962, the Company has paid, without interruption, a quarterly cash dividend. During fiscal 2020, the Company paid aggregate cash dividends of $1.56 per share to our shareholders, and the Company most recently declared a dividend of $0.39 per share payable on March 1, 2021 to shareholders of record on February 2, 2021. The timing, declaration, and payment of future dividends to holders of the Company’s common stock will depend upon many factors, including the Company’s financial condition and results of operations, the capital requirements of the Company’s businesses, industry practice, and any other relevant factors.
On October 19, 2017, the Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to three million shares (2017 Authorization). As of December 31, 2020, 774,974 shares had been repurchased under the 2017 Authorization. There were no repurchases of shares by the Company during 2020. There is no expiration date for the 2017 Authorization. The 2017 Authorization may be modified, suspended, or discontinued by the Board of Directors at any time. As of December 31, 2020, the maximum number of shares that may be purchased under publicly announced plans is 2,225,026.
This graph compares the cumulative total shareholder return for the Company’s common stock over the last five years to the total returns on the Standard & Poor’s Midcap Specialty Chemicals Index (S&P Midcap Specialty Chemicals Index), the Standard & Poor’s Midcap Food Products Index (S&P Midcap Food Products Index), and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Stock Index (S&P 500 Index). The graph assumes a $100 investment made on December 31, 2015, and reinvestment of dividends. The stock performance shown on the graph is not necessarily indicative of future price performance.
Sensient Technologies Corporation
$
$
$
$
$
$
S&P Midcap Specialty Chemicals Index
S&P Midcap Food Products Index
S&P 500 Index
Standard & Poor’s and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services, LLC.
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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Item 6. Selected Financial Data.
The following selected financial data is derived from our consolidated financial statements. This data should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, and with Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Quarterly Data
(In thousands except per share amounts)
(unaudited)
First
Quarter
Second
Quarter
Third
Quarter
Fourth
Quarter
Full
Year
Revenue
$
350,677
$
323,090
$
323,566
$
334,668
$
1,332,001
Gross profit
111,893
102,214
105,646
103,994
423,747
Net earnings
20,773
30,620
32,910
25,169
109,472
Earnings per basic share
0.49
0.72
0.78
0.59
2.59
Earnings per diluted share
0.49
0.72
0.78
0.59
2.59
Revenue
$
347,513
$
339,186
$
317,650
$
318,585
$
1,322,934
Gross profit
115,225
111,768
102,400
85,480
414,873
Net earnings (loss)
32,807
34,331
31,871
(16,962
)
82,047
Earnings (loss) per basic share
0.78
0.81
0.75
(0.40
)
1.94
Earnings (loss) per diluted share
0.78
0.81
0.75
(0.40
)
1.94
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Five Year Review
(In thousands except percentages, employee and per share data)
Years ended December 31,
Summary of Operations
Revenue
$
1,332,001
100.0
%
$
1,322,934
100.0
%
$
1,386,815
100.0
%
$
1,362,265
100.0
%
$
1,383,210
100.0
%
Cost of products sold
908,254
68.2
908,061
68.6
920,686
66.4
886,775
65.1
907,783
65.6
Selling and administrative expenses
271,091
20.4
293,763
22.2
262,751
18.9
307,684
22.6
289,818
21.0
Operating income
152,656
11.5
%
121,110
9.2
%
203,378
14.7
%
167,806
12.3
%
185,609
13.4
%
Interest expense
14,811
20,107
21,853
19,383
18,324
Earnings before income taxes
137,845
101,003
181,525
148,423
167,285
Income taxes
28,373
18,956
24,165
58,823
44,372
Earnings from continuing operations
109,472
82,047
157,360
89,600
122,913
Gain from discontinued operations, net of tax
-
-
-
-
3,343
Net earnings
$
109,472
$
82,047
$
157,360
$
89,600
$
126,256
Earnings per basic share:
Continuing operations
$
2.59
$
1.94
$
3.71
$
2.05
$
2.76
Discontinued operations
-
-
-
-
0.08
Earnings per basic share
$
2.59
$
1.94
$
3.71
$
2.05
$
2.84
Earnings per diluted share:
Continuing operations
$
2.59
$
1.94
$
3.70
$
2.03
$
2.74
Discontinued operations
-
-
-
-
0.07
Earnings per diluted share
$
2.59
$
1.94
$
3.70
$
2.03
$
2.82
Other Related Data
Dividends per share, declared and paid
$
1.56
$
1.47
$
1.35
$
1.23
$
1.11
Average common shares outstanding:
Basic
42,301
42,263
42,404
43,780
44,523
Diluted
42,346
42,294
42,499
44,031
44,843
Book value per common share
$
22.04
$
20.83
$
20.34
$
19.70
$
18.83
Price range per common share
38.24-75.30
54.77-75.21
51.93-78.40
71.21-
84.98
52.69-
83.38
Share price at December 31
73.77
66.09
55.85
73.15
78.58
Capital expenditures
52,162
39,100
50,740
56,344
81,216
Depreciation
48,153
52,159
50,950
46,956
45,714
Amortization
1,488
2,856
2,294
1,562
1,305
Total assets
1,740,860
1,740,151
1,824,940
1,724,340
1,667,860
Long-term debt
518,004
598,499
689,553
604,159
582,780
Total debt
527,251
619,111
709,599
624,289
603,358
Shareholders’ equity
934,336
881,589
859,947
852,301
835,741
Return on average shareholders’ equity
12.3
%
9.2
%
18.8
%
10.3
%
14.7
%
Total debt to total capital
36.1
%
41.3
%
45.2
%
42.3
%
41.9
%
Employees
3,948
4,058
4,113
4,023
4,083
The 2020 results include charges of $18.5 million ($14.4 million after tax, $0.34 per share) related to divestiture & other related costs, operational improvement plan costs, and costs associated with a one-time COVID-19 employee payment.
The 2019 results include charges of $45.9 million ($43.2 million after tax, $1.02 per share) related to divestiture & other related costs. The divestiture & other related costs pertain to the Company’s October 2019 announcement to divest its inks, fragrances (excluding its essential oils product line), and fruit preparations product lines.
Index
The 2018 results include $6.6 million ($0.16 per share) of tax benefit related to the finalization of provisional estimates made during 2017 as a result of the 2017 enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (2017 Tax Legislation).
The 2017 results include charges of $48.1 million ($42.5 million after tax, or $0.96 per share) related to restructuring and other divestiture costs, as well as $18.4 million of tax expense ($0.42 per share) related to the enactment of the 2017 Tax Legislation in the fourth quarter of 2017. The restructuring costs pertain to the Company’s now completed 2014 restructuring plan related to the sale and/or elimination of underperforming operations, consolidation of manufacturing facilities, and efforts to improve efficiencies within the Company. The other costs pertain to the sale of a facility and certain related business lines within the Flavors & Extracts segment in Strasbourg, France, which was completed in January 2017.
The 2016 results include charges of $26.1 million ($21.1 million after tax, or $0.47 per share) related to restructuring and other divestiture costs. The restructuring costs pertain to the Company’s 2014 restructuring plan related to eliminating underperforming operations, consolidating manufacturing facilities, and improving efficiencies within the Company, and the other costs pertain to the Company’s divestiture in Strasbourg, France.

---

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and the notes to those statements. Discussion and analysis of our cash flows for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 is included under the heading Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity and Financial Position in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 21, 2020.
OVERVIEW
Sensient Technologies Corporation (the Company or Sensient) is a global developer, manufacturer, and supplier of flavor and fragrance systems for the food, beverage, personal care, and household-products industries. The Company previously announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its fragrances product line (excluding its essential oils product line). The Company is also a leading developer, manufacturer, and supplier of colors for businesses worldwide. The Company provides natural and synthetic color systems for use in foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals; colors and other ingredients for cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceuticals; and technical colors for industrial applications. The Company’s three reportable segments are the Flavors & Extracts Group (formerly known as the Flavors & Fragrances segment; see Note 12, Segment and Geographic Information) and the Color Group, which are managed on a product basis, and the Asia Pacific Group, which is managed on a geographic basis. The Company’s corporate expenses, restructuring including operational improvement plans, divestiture, share-based compensation, COVID-19 employee payment, and other costs are included in the “Corporate & Other” category. In the second quarter of 2020, the Company divested its inks product line (Color Group), and in the third quarter of 2020, the Company divested its yogurt fruit preparations product line (Flavors & Extracts Group).
In 2020, Sensient’s management team and employees worked diligently throughout the pandemic to ensure that employees remained safe, facilities remained open, and the supply chain continued to function. As a result of these efforts, Sensient was able to serve as a consistent and reliable supplier to its customers throughout the pandemic for their food, pharmaceutical, and personal care ingredient needs. The impact of COVID-19 on Sensient’s business was mixed in 2020. The Company believes the net impact of the pandemic was negative to Sensient’s results, as the increase in certain product lines was more than offset by the significant drop in demand for cosmetic makeup ingredients and certain food products.
The Company also made significant progress on the product line divestitures that were announced in 2019. The sales of the inks product line and yogurt fruit preparations product line were completed in 2020. Additionally, a definitive agreement to sell the fragrances product line (excluding the essential oils product line) was signed in November 2020, with an anticipated close date in the first half of 2021.
The Company’s diluted earnings per share were $2.59 in 2020 and $1.94 in 2019. Included in the 2020 results were $18.5 million ($14.4 million after tax, $0.34 per share) of divestiture & other related costs, operational improvement plan costs, and a one-time COVID-19 employee payment. Included in the 2019 results were $45.9 million ($43.2 million after tax, $1.02 per share) of divestiture & other related costs. Adjusted diluted earnings per share, which exclude the divestiture & other related costs, the results of operations of the product lines divested or to be divested, the operational improvement plan costs, and the impact of the one-time COVID-19 employee payment, were $2.79 in 2020 and $2.92 in 2019 (see discussion below regarding non-GAAP financial measures).
Additional information on the results is included below.
Index
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
2020 vs. 2019
Revenue
Sensient’s revenue was approximately $1.3 billion in both 2020 and 2019.
Gross Profit
The Company’s gross margin was 31.8% in 2020 and 31.4% in 2019. The increase in gross margin is primarily a result of lower divestiture & other related costs in 2020.
Selling and Administrative Expenses
Selling and administrative expense as a percent of revenue was 20.4% in 2020 and 22.2% in 2019. Selling and administrative expenses in 2020 included divestiture & other related expenses, operational improvement plan costs, and the one-time COVID-19 employee payment totaling $15.7 million and in 2019 included divestiture & other related costs totaling $35.3 million. These expenses increased selling and administrative expense as a percent of revenue by approximately 120 and 270 basis points in 2020 and 2019, respectively. See Divestitures below for further information.
Operating Income
Operating income was $152.7 million in 2020 and $121.1 million in 2019. Operating margins were 11.5% in 2020 and 9.2% in 2019. Divestiture & other related costs, operational improvement plan costs, and the one-time COVID-19 employee payment reduced operating margins by approximately 140 basis points in 2020 and divestiture & other related expenses reduced operating margins by approximately 350 basis points in 2019.
Additional information on segment results can be found in the Segment Information section.
Interest Expense
Interest expense was $14.8 million in 2020 and $20.1 million in 2019. The decrease in expense was primarily due to a decrease in the average interest rate and the average debt outstanding.
Income Taxes
The effective income tax rate was 20.6% in 2020 and 18.8% in 2019. The effective tax rates in both 2020 and 2019 were impacted by changes in estimates associated with the finalization of prior year foreign and domestic tax items, audit settlements, mix of foreign earnings, costs related to the divestiture & other related costs and the release of valuation allowances related to the foreign tax credit carryover and foreign net operating losses. See Note 11, Income Taxes, in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report for additional information.
Rate before divestiture and discrete items
24.8
%
25.7
%
Divestiture & other related costs impact
0.3
%
4.1
%
Discrete items
(4.5
%)
(11.0
%)
Reported effective tax rate
20.6
%
18.8
%
The 2021 effective income tax rate is estimated to be between 24% and 25%, before any divestiture & other related costs and discrete items, such as finalization of prior year foreign and domestic tax items, audit settlements, and valuation allowance adjustments.
Divestitures
In October 2019, the Company announced its intent to divest its inks, fragrances (excluding its essential oils product line), and yogurt fruit preparations product lines. In the fourth quarter of 2019, the Board of Directors approved the sale of the inks product line, which was within the Color segment, and the fragrances product line (excluding its essential oils product line), which is within the Flavors & Extracts segment. In the second quarter of 2020, the Board of Directors approved the sale of the yogurt fruit preparations product line, which was within the Flavors & Extracts segment.
On June 30, 2020, the Company completed the sale of its inks product line. In 2020, the Company received $11.6 million of net cash for the sale of the product line and expects to receive additional cash when it completes certain post-closing asset sales. On September 18, 2020, the Company completed the sale of its yogurt fruit preparations product line for $1.0 million. The sale included an earn-out agreement based on future performance, which could result in additional cash consideration for the Company. On November 23, 2020, the Company announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to sell its fragrances product line (excluding its essential oils product line). The Company expects the transaction to close in the first half of 2021.
Index
Divestiture & other related costs were $12.2 million and $45.9 million in 2020 and 2019, respectively. See Note 14, Divestitures, in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report for additional information.
As of December 31, 2020, the Company currently estimates 2021 divestiture charges will be $10 million to $14 million. The Company is expecting a non-cash charge of $8 million to $10 million upon closing the sale of the fragrances product line (excluding its essential oils product line) related to the reclassification of accumulated foreign currency translation and related items from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss to Selling and Administrative Expenses in the Consolidated Statement of Earnings. In addition, the Company expects other costs, primarily accelerated depreciation and other exiting activities expenses, to be between $2 million and $4 million. The Company anticipates that it will complete the sales and exit activities of these product lines in 2021.
Operational Improvement Plan
In the third quarter of 2020, the Company approved an operational improvement plan to consolidate manufacturing facilities and improve efficiencies within the Company. As part of the operational improvement plan, the Company is combining its New Jersey cosmetics manufacturing facility in the Personal Care product line of the Color segment into its existing Color segment facility in Missouri. In addition, the Company is centralizing certain Flavors & Extracts segment support functions in Europe into one location. In the Asia Pacific segment, the Company incurred costs in connection with the elimination of certain selling and administrative positions.
COVID-19 Employee Payment
In the fourth quarter of 2020, the Company approved a one-time COVID-19 employee payment to reward the outstanding dedication and efforts of the Company’s employees during these challenging and unprecedented times. This adjustment totaled approximately $3.0 million.
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
Within the following tables, the Company reports certain non-GAAP financial measures, including: (1) adjusted revenue, adjusted operating income, adjusted net earnings, and adjusted diluted earnings per share, which exclude the results of the product lines divested or to be divested, the divestiture & other related costs, the operational improvement plan costs, and a one-time COVID-19 employee payment and (2) percentage changes in revenue, operating income, and diluted earnings per share on an adjusted local currency basis, which eliminate the effects that result from translating its international operations into U.S. dollars, the results of product lines divested or to be divested, the divestiture & other related costs or income, the operational improvement plan costs, and the one-time COVID-19 employee payment.
The Company has included each of these non-GAAP measures in order to provide additional information regarding our underlying operating results and comparable year-over-year performance. Such information is supplemental to information presented in accordance with GAAP and is not intended to represent a presentation in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation. Rather, they should be considered together with GAAP measures and the rest of the information included in this report. Management internally reviews each of these non-GAAP measures to evaluate performance on a comparative period-to-period basis and to gain additional insight into underlying operating and performance trends, and the Company believes the information can be beneficial to investors for the same purposes. These non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.
Index
Twelve Months Ended December 31,
(In thousands except per share amounts)
% Change
Revenue (GAAP)
$
1,332,001
$
1,322,934
0.7
%
Revenue of the product lines divested or to be divested
(113,553
)
(143,172
)
Adjusted revenue
$
1,218,448
$
1,179,762
3.3
%
Operating Income (GAAP)
$
152,656
$
121,110
26.0
%
Divestiture & other related costs - Cost of products sold
1,795
10,567
Divestiture & other related costs - Selling and administrative expenses
10,360
35,313
Operating income of the product lines divested or to be divested
(7,580
)
(1,978
)
Operational improvement plan - Cost of products sold
-
Operational improvement plan - Selling and administrative expenses
3,304
-
COVID-19 employee payment- Cost of products sold
1,036
-
COVID-19 employee payment - Selling and administrative expenses
1,986
-
Adjusted operating income
$
163,592
$
165,012
(0.9
%)
Net Earnings (GAAP)
$
109,472
$
82,047
33.4
%
Divestiture & other related costs, before tax
12,155
45,880
Tax impact of divestiture & other related costs
(2,605
)
(2,671
)
Net earnings of the product lines divested or to be divested, before tax
(7,580
)
(1,978
)
Tax impact of the product lines divested or to be divested
1,945
Operational improvement plan costs, before tax
3,339
-
Tax impact of operational improvement plan
(826
)
-
COVID-19 employee payment, before tax
3,022
-
Tax impact of COVID-19 employee payment
(675
)
-
Adjusted net earnings
$
118,247
$
123,677
(4.4
%)
Diluted Earnings Per Share (GAAP)
$
2.59
$
1.94
33.5
%
Divestiture & other related costs, net of tax
0.23
1.02
Results of operations of the product lines divested or to be divested, net of tax
(0.13
)
(0.04
)
Operational improvement plan, net of tax
0.06
-
COVID-19 employee payment, net of tax
0.06
-
Adjusted diluted earnings per share
$
2.79
$
2.92
(4.5
%)
Divestiture & other related costs are discussed under “Divestitures” above and Note 14, Divestitures, in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report. Operational improvement plan is discussed under “Operational Improvement Plan” above and Note 15, Operational Improvement Plan, in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report.
Note: Earnings per share calculations may not foot due to rounding differences.
Index
The following table summarizes the percentage change in the 2020 results compared to the 2019 results in the respective financial measures.
Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2020
Total
Foreign
Exchange
Rates
Adjustments(1)
Adjusted Local
Currency
Revenue
Flavors & Extracts
6.0
%
(0.3
%)
(2.5
%)
8.8
%
Color
(6.4
%)
(1.8
%)
(3.9
%)
(0.7
%)
Asia Pacific
2.5
%
(0.3
%)
(0.2
%)
3.0
%
Total Revenue
0.7
%
(0.9
%)
(2.7
%)
4.3
%
Operating Income
Flavors & Extracts
21.4
%
(0.7
%)
9.0
%
13.1
%
Color
(5.1
%)
(1.6
%)
(1.1
%)
(2.4
%)
Asia Pacific
13.9
%
(0.2
%)
(0.2
%)
14.3
%
Corporate & Other
(24.2
%)
0.0
%
(57.0
%)
32.8
%
Operating Income
26.0
%
(1.9
%)
27.5
%
0.4
%
Diluted Earnings per Share
33.5
%
(2.1
%)
39.0
%
(3.4
%)
(1) For Revenue, adjustments consist of revenues of the product lines divested or to be divested. For Operating Income and Diluted Earnings per Share, adjustments consist of the results of the product lines divested or to be divested, divestitures & other related costs, operational improvement plan costs, and the one-time COVID-19 employee payment.
Note: Refer to table above for a reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures.
SEGMENT INFORMATION
The Company determines its operating segments based on information utilized by its chief operating decision maker to allocate resources and assess performance. Segment performance is evaluated on operating income before any applicable divestiture & other related costs, share-based compensation, acquisition, restructuring including the operational improvement plan, one-time COVID-19 employee payment, and other costs (which are reported in Corporate & Other), interest expense, and income taxes.
The Company’s discussion below regarding its operating segments has been updated to reflect the Company’s disaggregation of revenue, which was adopted in the first quarter of 2018, as summarized in Part IV, Item I, Note 12, Segment and Geographic Information, of this report.
The Company’s reportable segments consist of the Flavors & Extracts, Color, and Asia Pacific segments.
Flavors & Extracts
Flavors & Extracts segment revenue was $742.0 and $700.4 million in 2020 and 2019, respectively, an increase of approximately 6%. Foreign exchange rates did not have a significant impact on segment revenue in 2020. Segment revenue was higher than the prior year due to higher revenue in Flavors, Extracts & Flavor Ingredients and Natural Ingredients, partially offset by lower revenue in Yogurt Fruit Preparations and Fragrances. The higher revenue in Flavors, Extracts & Flavor Ingredients and Natural Ingredients was primarily due to favorable volumes and selling prices, partially offset by the unfavorable impact of foreign exchange rates at Flavors, Extracts & Flavor Ingredients. The lower revenue in Yogurt Fruit Preparations was primarily due to lower volumes and the divestiture of the product line in the third quarter of 2020. The lower revenue in Fragrances was due to lower selling prices partially offset by higher volumes.
Flavors & Extracts segment operating income was $91.0 million in 2020 and $75.0 million in 2019, an increase of approximately 21%. Foreign exchange rates decreased segment operating income by approximately 1%. The higher segment operating income was primarily a result of higher operating income in Flavors, Extracts & Flavor Ingredients and Fragrances, partially offset by lower operating income in Natural Ingredients. The higher operating income in Flavors, Extracts & Flavor Ingredients was primarily due to favorable selling prices, favorable manufacturing and other costs, and lower raw material costs. The higher operating income at Fragrances was primarily due to lower raw material costs, favorable manufacturing and other costs, and favorable volumes and product mix, partially offset by lower selling prices. The lower operating income in Natural Ingredients was primarily due to higher raw material and manufacturing and other costs, partially offset by higher selling prices and favorable volumes and product mix. Segment operating income as a percent of revenue was 12.3% and 10.7% for 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Index
Color
Segment revenue for the Color segment was $501.0 million in 2020 and $535.2 million in 2019, a decrease of approximately 6%. Foreign exchange rates decreased segment revenue by approximately 2%. The lower segment revenue was primarily a result of lower revenue in Personal Care and Inks, partially offset by higher revenue in Food & Pharmaceutical Colors. The lower revenue in Personal Care was primarily a result of lower volumes due to lower demand for makeup products due to COVID-19 and unfavorable foreign exchange rates, partially offset by higher selling prices. The lower revenue in Inks was primarily a result of divesting the product line in the second quarter of 2020 and lower volumes. The higher revenue in Food & Pharmaceutical Colors was primarily due to favorable volumes and higher selling prices, partially offset by the unfavorable impact of foreign exchange rates.
Segment operating income for the Color segment was $96.0 million in 2020 and $101.2 million in 2019, a decrease of approximately 5%. Foreign exchange rates decreased segment operating income by approximately 2%. The lower segment operating income was primarily a result of lower operating income in Personal Care, partially offset by higher operating income in Food & Pharmaceutical Colors. The lower operating income in Personal Care was primarily a result of lower volumes due to lower demand for makeup products due to COVID-19, higher raw material and manufacturing and other costs, and the unfavorable impact of foreign exchange rates, partially offset by higher selling prices. The higher operating income in Food & Pharmaceutical Colors was primarily due to lower raw material costs, volumes, and selling prices, partially offset by unfavorable manufacturing and other costs. Segment operating income as a percent of revenue was 19.2% in 2020 compared to 18.9% in 2019.
Asia Pacific
Segment revenue for the Asia Pacific segment was $121.2 million and $118.2 million for 2020 and 2019, respectively, an increase of approximately 3%. Foreign exchange rates had a minimal impact on segment revenues. Segment revenue was higher than the prior year due to higher volumes.
Segment operating income for the Asia Pacific segment was $22.1 million in 2020 and $19.4 million in 2019, an increase of approximately 14% compared to the prior year. Foreign exchange rates did not have a significant impact on segment operating income. The increase in segment operating income was a result of higher volumes and lower raw material costs. Segment operating income as a percent of revenue was 18.2% in 2020 and 16.4% in 2019, respectively.
Corporate & Other
The Corporate & Other operating loss was $56.4 million in 2020 and $74.4 million in 2019. The lower operating loss was primarily a result of lower divestiture & other related costs in 2020 of $12.2 million compared to $45.9 million in 2019. These lower divestiture & other related costs in 2020 were partially offset by higher stock based compensation of $6.3 million, operational improvement plan costs of $3.3 million, and the one-time COVID-19 employee payment of $3.0 million. There were no operational improvement plan costs or COVID-19 employee payment in 2019. See the Divestitures, Operational Improvement Plan, and COVID-19 Employee Payment sections above for further information.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
2019 vs. 2018
Revenue
Sensient’s revenue was approximately $1.3 billion and $1.4 billion in 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Gross Profit
The Company’s gross margin was 31.4% in 2019 and 33.6% in 2018. The decrease in gross margin was primarily a result of unfavorable volume and the impact of a $10.6 million inventory adjustment related to the divesting of the yogurt fruit preparations product line, partially offset by higher selling prices. See Divestitures below for further information on the inventory adjustment.
Selling and Administrative Expenses
Selling and administrative expense as a percent of revenue was 22.2% in 2019 and 18.9% in 2018, respectively. Divestiture & other related costs of $35.3 million in 2019 were included in Selling and Administrative Expense and increased selling and administrative expense as a percent of revenue by approximately 270 basis points in 2019. See Divestitures below for further information.
Operating Income
Operating income was $121.1 million in 2019 and $203.4 million in 2018. Operating margins were 9.2% in 2019 and 14.7% in 2018. Divestiture & other related costs reduced operating margins by approximately 350 basis points in 2019.
Additional information on segment results can be found in the Segment Information section.
Index
Interest Expense
Interest expense was $20.1 million in 2019 and $21.9 million in 2018. The decrease in expense was primarily due to the decrease in average debt outstanding.
Income Taxes
The effective income tax rate was 18.8% in 2019 and 13.3% in 2018. The effective tax rates in both 2019 and 2018 were impacted by changes in estimates associated with the finalization of prior year foreign and domestic tax items, audit settlements, and mix of foreign earnings. The effective tax rate in 2019 was impacted by tax costs related to the divestiture & other related costs and the release of valuation allowances related to the foreign tax credit carryover and foreign net operating losses. The effective tax rate in 2018 was also favorably impacted by U.S. tax accounting method changes that were filed with the IRS in the second quarter of 2018 and generation of foreign tax credits during 2018. See Note 11, Income Taxes, in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report for additional information.
On December 22, 2017, the U.S. enacted the 2017 Tax Legislation (2017 Tax Legislation). The 2017 Tax Legislation significantly changed U.S. corporate income tax laws by reducing the U.S. corporate income tax rate to 21% beginning in 2018 and creating a territorial tax system with a one-time mandatory tax on previously deferred foreign earnings of U.S. subsidiaries. As a result, the Company recorded a provisional net tax expense of $18.4 million during the fourth quarter of 2017. This amount consists of reevaluating the U.S. deferred tax assets and liabilities based on the lower corporate income tax rate, adjustments to the Company’s foreign tax credit carryover, and the one-time mandatory tax on previously deferred foreign earnings of U.S. subsidiaries. In 2018, the Company finalized its provisional estimates related to the 2017 Tax Legislation resulting in an income tax benefit of $6.6 million. Sensient considers $11.8 million to be the final net tax expense related to the 2017 Tax Legislation.
Rate before 2017 Tax Legislation, divestiture and discrete items
25.7
%
20.7
%
2017 Tax Legislation
-
(3.7
%)
Divestiture & other related costs impact
4.1
%
-
Discrete items
(11.0
%)
(3.7
%)
Reported effective tax rate
18.8
%
13.3
%
Acquisitions
On March 9, 2018, the Company completed the acquisition of certain net assets and the natural color business of GlobeNatural, a company based in Lima, Peru. The Company paid $10.8 million of cash for this acquisition. The assets acquired and liabilities assumed were recorded at their estimated fair values as of the acquisition date. The Company acquired net assets of $1.4 million and identified intangible assets, principally customer relationships of $2.0 million, and allocated the remaining $7.4 million to goodwill. These operations are included in the Color segment.
On July 10, 2018, the Company completed the acquisition of Sensient Natural Extraction Inc., a botanical extraction business with patented solvent-free extraction processes, located in Vancouver, Canada. The Company paid $19.8 million of cash for this acquisition. The assets acquired and liabilities assumed were recorded at their estimated fair values as of the acquisition date. The Company acquired net assets of $4.0 million and identified intangible assets, principally technological know-how, of $6.9 million. The remaining $8.9 million was allocated to goodwill. These operations are included in the Color segment.
Divestitures
In October 2019, the Company announced its intent to divest its inks, fragrances (excluding its essential oils product line), and yogurt fruit preparations product lines. At such time, the Board of Directors approved the sale of the inks product line, which is within the Color segment, and the sale of the fragrances product line, which is within the Flavors & Extracts segment.
In the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $34.6 million, primarily related to property, plant and equipment and allocated goodwill, in Selling and Administrative Expenses, related to the disposal groups as described in Note 14, Divestitures, to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report. The charge reduced the carrying value of certain long-lived assets to their fair value. An estimate of the fair value of these product lines less costs to sell was determined to be lower than their carrying value. This estimate for the fragrances product line will be finalized and adjusted as necessary upon the closing of the sale or as assumptions change. Also in the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company recorded a non-cash charge of $9.8 million and disposal costs of $0.8 million, in Cost of Products Sold, related to the yogurt fruit preparations divestiture. The charge reduced the carrying value of certain inventories, as they were determined to be excess as of December 31, 2019. The Company also incurred $0.7 million of additional costs, primarily related to severance, in the fourth quarter of 2019, in Selling and Administrative Expenses, related to the divestitures sold and to be sold, and other exit activities.
Index
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
Within the following tables, the Company reports certain non-GAAP financial measures, including: (1) adjusted revenue, adjusted operating income, adjusted net earnings, and adjusted diluted earnings per share (which exclude the results of the product lines divested or to be divested, the divestiture & other related costs, and the impact of the 2017 Tax Legislation) and (2) percentage changes in revenue, operating income and diluted earnings per share on an adjusted local currency basis (which eliminate the effects that result from translating its international operations into U.S. dollars, the results of product lines divested or to be divested, the divestiture & other related costs, and the impact of the 2017 Tax Legislation).
The Company has included each of these non-GAAP measures in order to provide additional information regarding our underlying operating results and comparable year-over-year performance. Such information is supplemental to information presented in accordance with GAAP and is not intended to represent a presentation in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation. Rather, they should be considered together with GAAP measures and the rest of the information included in this report. Management internally reviews each of these non-GAAP measures to evaluate performance on a comparative period-to-period basis and to gain additional insight into underlying operating and performance trends. The Company believes that this information can be beneficial to investors for the same purposes. These non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.
Twelve Months Ended December 31,
(In thousands except per share amounts)
% Change
Revenue (GAAP)
$
1,322,934
$
1,386,815
(4.6
%)
Revenue of the product lines divested or to be divested
(143,172
)
(160,870
)
Adjusted revenue
$
1,179,762
$
1,225,945
(3.8
%)
Operating Income (GAAP)
$
121,110
$
203,378
(40.5
%)
Divestiture & other related costs - Cost of products sold
10,567
-
Divestiture & other related costs - Selling and administrative expenses
35,313
-
Operating income of the product lines divested or to be divested
(1,978
)
(3,123
)
Adjusted operating income
$
165,012
$
200,255
(17.6
%)
Net Earnings (GAAP)
$
82,047
$
157,360
(47.9
%)
Divestiture & other related costs, before tax
45,880
-
Tax impact of divestiture & other related costs
(2,671
)
-
Net earnings of the product lines divested or to be divested, before tax
(1,978
)
(3,123
)
Tax impact of the product lines divested or to be divested
2017 Tax Legislation
-
(6,634
)
Adjusted net earnings
$
123,677
$
147,706
(16.3
%)
Diluted Earnings per Share (GAAP)
$
1.94
$
3.70
(47.6
%)
Divestiture & other related costs, net of tax
1.02
-
Results of operations of the product lines divested or to be divested, net of tax
(0.04
)
(0.07
)
2017 Tax Legislation
-
(0.16
)
Adjusted diluted earnings per share
$
2.92
$
3.48
(16.1
%)
Divestiture & other related costs are discussed under “Divestitures” above and Note 14, Divestitures, in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report.
Note: Earnings per share calculations may not foot due to rounding differences.
Index
The following table summarizes the percentage change in the 2019 results compared to the 2018 results in the respective financial measures.
Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2019
Total
Foreign
Exchange
Rates
Adjustments(1)
Adjusted Local
Currency
Revenue
Flavors & Extracts
(6.2
%)
(1.4
%)
(0.3
%)
(4.5
%)
Color
(3.4
%)
(2.7
%)
(1.0
%)
0.3
%
Asia Pacific
(4.0
%)
(0.4
%)
0.0
%
(3.6
%)
Total Revenue
(4.6
%)
(1.8
%)
(0.7
%)
(2.1
%)
Operating Income
Flavors & Extracts
(22.3
%)
(0.5
%)
(0.8
%)
(21.0
%)
Color
(10.7
%)
(2.9
%)
0.1
%
(7.9
%)
Asia Pacific
(7.1
%)
2.9
%
0.0
%
(10.0
%)
Corporate & Other
173.4
%
(0.1
%)
168.6
%
4.9
%
Operating Income
(40.5
%)
(1.6
%)
(22.9
%)
(16.0
%)
Diluted Earnings per Share
(47.6
%)
(1.4
%)
(31.8
%)
(14.4
%)
(1) For Revenue, adjustments consist of revenues of the product lines divested or to be divested. For Operating Income and Diluted Earnings per Share, adjustments consist of the results of the product lines divested or to be divested, divestitures & other related costs, and the impact of the 2017 Tax Legislation.
Note: Refer to table above for a reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures.
SEGMENT INFORMATION
The Company determines its operating segments based on information utilized by its chief operating decision maker to allocate resources and assess performance. Segment performance is evaluated on operating income before any applicable divestiture & other related costs, share-based compensation, acquisition, restructuring and other costs (which are reported in Corporate & Other), interest expense, and income taxes.
The Company’s discussion below regarding its operating segments has been updated to reflect the Company’s disaggregation of revenue, which was adopted in the first quarter of 2018, as summarized in Part IV, Item I, Note 12, Segment and Geographic Information, of this report.
The Company’s reportable segments consist of the Flavors & Extracts, Color, and Asia Pacific segments.
Flavors & Extracts
Flavors & Extracts segment revenue was $700.4 and $746.9 million in 2019 and 2018, respectively. Foreign exchange rates decreased segment revenue by approximately 1% in 2019. Segment revenue was lower than the prior year due to lower revenue in Flavors, Extracts & Flavor Ingredients, Fragrances, Natural Ingredients, and Yogurt Fruit Preparations. The lower revenues in Flavors, Extracts & Flavor Ingredients and Fragrances was primarily a result of unfavorable volumes and exchange rates, partially offset by higher selling prices. The lower revenue in Natural Ingredients was primarily a result of unfavorable volumes and lower selling prices. The lower revenue in Yogurt Fruit Preparations was primarily a result of unfavorable volumes.
Flavors & Extracts segment operating income was $75.0 million in 2019 and $96.4 million in 2018, a decrease of approximately 22%. Foreign exchange rates decreased segment operating income by approximately 1%. The lower segment operating income was primarily a result of lower operating income in Flavors, Extracts & Flavor Ingredients and Fragrances. The lower operating income in Flavors, Extracts & Flavor Ingredients and Fragrances was primarily a result of lower volumes, higher manufacturing and other costs, and higher raw materials costs, partially offset by higher selling prices and a favorable product mix. Segment operating income as a percent of revenue was 10.7% and 12.9% for 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Index
Color
Segment revenue for the Color segment was $535.2 million in 2019 and $554.0 million in 2018, a decrease of approximately 3%. Foreign exchange rates decreased segment revenue by approximately 3%. The lower segment revenue was primarily a result of lower revenue in Personal Care and Inks, partially offset by higher revenue in Food & Pharmaceutical Colors. The lower revenue in Personal Care was primarily a result of lower volumes and unfavorable exchange rates. The lower revenue in Inks was primarily a result of lower volumes, lower prices, and unfavorable foreign exchange rates. The higher revenue in Food & Pharmaceutical Colors was primarily a result of higher volumes, the additional revenue from the Sensient Natural Extraction Inc. and GlobeNatural acquisitions, and higher selling prices, partially offset by unfavorable exchange rates. The additional revenue from the Sensient Natural Extraction Inc. and GlobeNatural acquisitions represent less than 1% of total segment revenue.
Segment operating income for the Color segment was $101.2 million in 2019 and $113.3 million in 2018, a decrease of approximately 11%. Foreign exchange rates decreased segment operating income by approximately 3%. The lower segment operating income was primarily a result of lower operating income in Food & Pharmaceutical Colors and Personal Care. The lower segment operating income in Food & Pharmaceutical Colors was primarily due to higher raw material costs, higher manufacturing and other costs, higher operating costs related to the Sensient Natural Extraction Inc. acquisition, and unfavorable exchange rates, partially offset by favorable volumes and product mix and higher selling prices. The lower segment operating income in Personal Care was primarily a result of lower volumes and the unfavorable impact of exchange rates, partially offset by higher selling prices. Segment operating income as a percent of revenue was 18.9% in 2019 compared to 20.5% in 2018.
Asia Pacific
Segment revenue for the Asia Pacific segment was $118.2 million and $123.2 million for 2019 and 2018, respectively. Foreign exchange rates had a minimal impact on segment revenues. Segment revenue was slightly lower than prior year as lower volumes were partially offset by higher selling prices.
Segment operating income for the Asia Pacific segment was $19.4 million in 2019 and $20.9 million in 2018, a decrease of approximately 7% compared to the prior year. Foreign exchange rates increased segment operating income by approximately 3%. The decrease in segment operating income was a result of lower volumes and higher manufacturing and other costs, partially offset by higher selling prices and favorable exchange rates. Segment operating income as a percent of revenue was 16.4% in 2019 and 16.9% in 2018, respectively.
Corporate & Other
The Corporate & Other operating loss was $74.4 million in 2019 and $27.2 million in 2018. The higher operating loss was primarily a result of the divestiture & other related costs in 2019 of $45.9 million. See Divestitures above for further information. There were no divestiture & other related costs incurred in 2018.
LIQUIDITY AND FINANCIAL POSITION
Financial Condition
The Company’s financial position remains strong. The Company is in compliance with its loan covenants calculated in accordance with applicable agreements as of December 31, 2020. The Company expects its cash flow from operations and its existing debt capacity can be used to meet anticipated future cash requirements for operations, capital expenditures, dividend payments, acquisitions, and stock repurchases. The impact of inflation on both the Company’s financial position and its results of operations has been minimal and is not expected to significantly affect 2021 results.
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net cash provided by operating activities was $218.8 million and $177.2 million in 2020 and 2019, respectively. Operating cash flow provided the primary source of funds for operating needs, capital expenditures, and shareholder dividends. The increase in net cash provided by operating activities in 2020 is primarily due to favorable working capital changes.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities was $33.4 million and $37.4 million in 2020 and 2019, respectively. Capital expenditures were $52.2 million in 2020 and $39.1 million in 2019. In 2020, the Company received $12.6 million of proceeds from the divestitures of the inks product line and the yogurt fruit preparations product line.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Net cash used in financing activities was $184.2 million in 2020 and $150.6 million in 2019. The Company had a net decrease in debt of $117.7 million and $87.4 million in 2020 and 2019, respectively. The Company has paid uninterrupted quarterly cash dividends since commencing public trading in its stock in 1962. Dividends paid per share were $1.56 in 2020 and $1.47 in 2019. Total dividends paid were $66.1 million and $62.2 million in 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Index
ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Sensient purchased 1.1 million shares of Company stock in 2018 for a total cost of $76.7 million. There were no shares of Company stock purchased in 2020 or 2019. In October 2017, the Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to three million shares. As of December 31, 2020, 2.2 million shares were available to be repurchased under the existing authorization. The Company’s share repurchase program has no expiration date. These authorizations may be modified, suspended, or discontinued by the Board of Directors at any time.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
In preparing the financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S., management is required to make estimates and assumptions that have an impact on the asset, liability, revenue, and expense amounts reported. These estimates can also affect supplemental information disclosures of the Company, including information about contingencies, risk, and financial condition. The Company believes, given current facts and circumstances, that its estimates and assumptions are reasonable, adhere to accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S., and are consistently applied. Inherent in the nature of an estimate or assumption is the fact that actual results may differ from estimates and estimates may vary as new facts and circumstances arise. The Company makes routine estimates and judgments in determining the net realizable value of accounts receivable, inventories, and property, plant, and equipment. Management believes the Company’s most critical accounting estimates and assumptions are in the following areas:
Revenue Recognition
The Company recognizes revenue at the transfer of control of its products to the Company’s customers in an amount reflecting the consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled. Revenue is recognized when control of the product is transferred to the customer, the customer is obligated to pay the Company and the Company has no remaining obligations, which is typically at shipment. See Note 1, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report for additional details.
Goodwill Valuation
The Company reviews the carrying value of goodwill annually utilizing several valuation methodologies, including a discounted cash flow model. The Company completed its annual goodwill impairment test under Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 350, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other, in the third quarter of 2020. In conducting its annual test for impairment, the Company performed a qualitative assessment of its previously calculated fair values for each of its reporting units. Fair value is estimated using both a discounted cash flow analysis and an analysis of comparable company market values. If the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its net book value, no impairment exists. The Company’s three reporting units each had goodwill recorded and were tested for impairment. All three reporting units had fair values that were above their respective net book values by at least 90%. Changes in estimates of future cash flows caused by items such as unforeseen events or changes in market conditions could negatively affect the reporting units’ fair value and result in an impairment charge.
In the fourth quarter of 2019, as a result of the Company meeting the assets held for sale criteria for its divestitures of its inks and fragrances (excluding its essential oils product line) product lines, the Company allocated $8.4 million of goodwill to that disposal group. The $8.4 million of goodwill related to the disposal groups was determined to be fully impaired. In 2020, the fair value of the disposal groups decreased, which resulted in the previously allocated goodwill of $2.2 million to be reallocated to its respective financial reporting units. See Note 14, Divestitures, in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report for additional details.
Income Taxes
The Company estimates its income tax expense in each of the taxing jurisdictions in which it operates. The Company is subject to a tax audit in each of these jurisdictions, which could result in changes to the estimated tax expense. The amount of these changes would vary by jurisdiction and would be recorded when probable and estimable. These changes could impact the Company’s financial statements. Management has recorded valuation allowances to reduce the Company’s deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. As of December 31, 2020, the Company recorded gross deferred tax assets of $118 million with an associated valuation allowance of $48 million. Examples of deferred tax assets include deductions, net operating losses, and tax credits that the Company believes will reduce its future tax payments. In assessing the future realization of these assets, management has considered future taxable income and ongoing tax planning strategies. An adjustment to the recorded valuation allowance as a result of changes in facts or circumstances could result in a significant change in the Company’s tax expense. The Company does not provide for deferred taxes on unremitted earnings of foreign subsidiaries, which are considered to be invested indefinitely.
Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost is determined using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method with the exception of certain locations of the Flavors & Extracts segment where cost is determined using a weighted average method. Net realizable value is determined on the basis of estimated realizable values. Cost includes direct materials, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead.
Index
The Company estimates any required write-downs for inventory obsolescence by examining inventories on a quarterly basis to determine if there are any damaged items or slow moving products in which the carrying values could exceed net realizable value. Inventory write-downs are recorded as the difference between the cost of inventory and its estimated market value. The Company recorded non-cash charges of $1.8 million and $9.8 million, in 2020 and 2019, respectively, in Cost of Products Sold primarily related to the yogurt fruit preparations divestiture. The charges reduced the carrying value of certain inventories, as they were determined to be excess. While significant judgment is involved in determining the net realizable value of inventory, the Company believes that inventory is appropriately stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value.
Commitments and Contingencies
The Company is subject to litigation and other legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of its businesses or arising under applicable laws and regulations. Estimating liabilities and costs associated with these matters requires the judgment of management, who rely in part on information from Company legal counsel. When it is probable that the Company has incurred a liability associated with claims or pending or threatened litigation matters and the Company’s exposure is reasonably estimable, the Company records a charge against earnings. The Company recognizes related insurance reimbursement when receipt is deemed probable. The Company’s estimate of liabilities and related insurance recoveries may change as further facts and circumstances become known.
NEW PRONOUNCEMENTS
Refer to the "Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements” and “Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements” sections within Note 1, "Summary of Significant Accounting Policies," in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report for additional details.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.
The Company is exposed to market risks, including changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates, and commodity prices. Where possible, the Company nets certain of these exposures to take advantage of natural offsets. For certain remaining exposures, the Company may enter into various derivative transactions pursuant to the Company’s hedging policies. The financial impacts of these hedging instruments are offset by corresponding changes in the underlying exposures being hedged.
The Company does not hold or issue derivative financial instruments for trading purposes. Note 1 and Note 7 to the Consolidated Financial Statements include discussions of the Company’s accounting policies for financial instruments.
Because the Company manufactures and sells its products throughout the world, it is exposed to movements in foreign currency exchange rates. The major foreign currency exposures include the markets in Western Europe, Latin America, Canada, and Asia. The primary purpose of the Company’s foreign currency hedging activities is to protect against the volatility associated with foreign currency sales, purchases of materials, and other assets and liabilities created during the normal course of business. The Company generally utilizes foreign exchange contracts with durations of less than 18 months that may or may not be designated as cash flow hedges under ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging. The net fair value of these instruments, based on dealer quotes, was an asset of $0.5 million and was a liability of $0.2 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. At December 31, 2020, the potential gain or loss in the fair value of the Company’s outstanding foreign exchange contracts, assuming a hypothetical 10% fluctuation in the currencies of such contracts, would be approximately $2.1 million. However, any change in the value of the contracts, real or hypothetical, would be significantly offset by a corresponding change in the value of the underlying hedged items. In addition, this hypothetical calculation assumes that each exchange rate would change in the same direction relative to the U.S. dollar.
The Company has certain debt denominated in Euros and British Pounds. The Swiss Franc debt was extinguished in connection with the sale of the inks product line on June 30, 2020. These non-derivative debt instruments act as partial hedges of the Company’s Euro and British Pound net asset positions. The potential increase or decrease in the annual U.S. dollar equivalent interest expense of the Company’s outstanding foreign currency-denominated debt, assuming a hypothetical 10% fluctuation in the currencies of such debt, would be approximately $0.7 million at December 31, 2020. However, any change in interest expense from fluctuations in currency, real or hypothetical, would be significantly offset by a corresponding change in the value of the foreign income before interest. In addition, this hypothetical calculation assumes that each exchange rate would change in the same direction relative to the U.S. dollar.
The Company manages its debt structure and interest rate risk through the use of fixed rate and floating rate debt. The Company’s primary exposure is to interest rates in the U.S. and Western Europe. At December 31, 2020, the potential increase or decrease in annual interest expense of floating rate debt, assuming a hypothetical 10% fluctuation in interest rates, would be immaterial.
The Company is the purchaser of certain commodities, such as vanilla, corn, sugar, soybean meal, and fruits. The Company generally purchases these commodities based upon market prices that are established with the vendor as part of the purchase process. In general, the Company does not use commodity financial instruments to hedge commodity prices due to a high correlation between the commodity cost and the ultimate selling price of the Company’s products. On occasion, the Company may enter into non-cancelable forward purchase contracts, as deemed appropriate, to reduce the effect of price fluctuations on future manufacturing requirements.
Index

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
The financial statements required by this item are set forth below and the supplementary data required by this item are set forth in Item 6 above.

---

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None.

---

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures. The Company carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including the Company’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer and its Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness, as of December 31, 2020, of the design and operation of the disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, the Company’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer and its Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2020.
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. The management of the Company is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. It is management’s policy to maintain a control-conscious environment through an effective system of internal accounting controls. These controls are supported by the careful selection of competent and knowledgeable personnel and by the communication of standard accounting and reporting policies and procedures throughout the Company. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Management has assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020. In making its assessment of internal control over financial reporting, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013 Framework). Based on that assessment, management has concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2020.
The Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, has been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm. Their opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting is included in this report.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting. There have been no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended December 31, 2020, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

---

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 9B. Other Information.
None.
Index
PART III

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers of the Registrant, and Corporate Governance.
Information required by this item regarding directors and officers, corporate governance, and other matters appearing under “Election of Directors” in the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Company to be filed with the Commission within 120 days after December 31, 2020 (2021 Proxy Statement), is incorporated by reference. Additional information required by this item regarding executive officers appears at the end of Part I above, and information required by this item regarding codes of conduct appear at the beginning of Part I above.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Item 11. Executive Compensation.
Information required by this item relating to compensation of directors and officers is incorporated by reference from the “Election of Directors,” “Executive Compensation,” “Chief Executive Officer Pay Ratio,” and “Equity Compensation Plan Information” portions of the 2021 Proxy Statement. Information required by this item relating to the Compensation and Development Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors is incorporated by reference from the headings “Compensation and Development Committee Report” and “Election of Directors” in the 2021 Proxy Statement.

---

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The information required by this item regarding security ownership of certain beneficial owners and management and related shareholder matters appearing under “Principal Shareholders” in the 2021 Proxy Statement is incorporated by reference. The information required by this item appearing under “Equity Compensation Plan Information” in the 2021 Proxy Statement is incorporated by reference.

---

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence.
The information required by this item regarding certain relationships and related party transactions and director independence appearing at the end of “Election of Directors” and under “Transactions With Related Persons” in the 2021 Proxy Statement is incorporated by reference.

---

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
The disclosure regarding principal accountant fees and services appearing under “Audit Committee Report” in the 2021 Proxy Statement is incorporated by reference.
Index
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
Documents filed:
1 and 2: Financial Statements and Financial Statement Schedule. See below for “List of Financial Statements and Financial Statement Schedule.”
3: See Exhibit Index following this report.
List of Financial Statements and Financial Statement Schedule
1. Financial Statements
The following consolidated financial statements of Sensient Technologies Corporation and subsidiaries are included in this annual report on Form 10-K:
Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
65-67
Consolidated Balance Sheets - December 31, 2020 and 2019
Consolidated Statements of Earnings - Years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - Years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity - Years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - Years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
41-64
2. Financial Statement Schedule
Schedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts
All other schedules are omitted because they are inapplicable, not required by the instructions, or the information is included in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto.