International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) Stake Lifted by Ensign Peak Advisors Inc

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc boosted its position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 418,350 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,029 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $35,371,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 638 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth approximately $78,000. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $82.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Cfra cut shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $77.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $92.69.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE IFF opened at $73.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.93. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a one year low of $65.85 and a one year high of $106.77. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $76.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $83.55. The company has a market capitalization of $18.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.08.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.83 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.72% and a net margin of 2.12%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.13 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Investors of record on Friday, June 20th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 20th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is presently -48.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kevin O’byrne acquired 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $80.44 per share, with a total value of $522,860.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 6,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $522,860. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO J Erik Fyrwald bought 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $74.00 per share, with a total value of $51,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 37,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,794,980. This trade represents a 1.89 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Company Profile

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.