International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $103.50.

A number of research analysts recently commented on IFF shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $107.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $113.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $114.00 to $104.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Barclays dropped their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $88.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th.

Insider Activity at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other news, Director Kevin O’byrne purchased 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $80.44 per share, for a total transaction of $522,860.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 6,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $522,860. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Flavors & Fragrances

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 1.2% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 615,006 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $64,533,000 after acquiring an additional 7,553 shares during the last quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA boosted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA now owns 114,179 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $9,654,000 after acquiring an additional 11,406 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC boosted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 55.7% in the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 24,401 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,055,000 after acquiring an additional 8,728 shares during the last quarter. Covea Finance boosted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 79.0% during the fourth quarter. Covea Finance now owns 123,090 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $10,407,000 after buying an additional 54,340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth about $7,508,000. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of IFF stock opened at $80.41 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $83.73 and a 200-day moving average of $92.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $20.56 billion, a PE ratio of 85.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. International Flavors & Fragrances has a 12 month low of $78.64 and a 12 month high of $106.77.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.67 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.72% and a net margin of 2.12%. On average, equities analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances will post 4.32 EPS for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is presently 170.21%.

About International Flavors & Fragrances

International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc engages in the manufacture and supply of flavors and fragrances used in the food, beverage, personal care, and household products industries. It operates through the following segments: Nourish, Health & Biosciences, Scent and Pharma Solutions. The Nourish segment consists of legacy Taste segment combined with N&B’s Food & Beverage division and the food protection business of N&B’s Health & Biosciences division.