Empowered Funds LLC Purchases New Stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF

Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 40,438 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,203,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IFF. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 97.9% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 554 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 55.7% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 587 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 884.1% during the second quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 679 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 610 shares during the period. Finally, EFG International AG bought a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter worth about $73,000. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

IFF opened at $85.86 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $80.98 and its 200-day moving average is $76.94. The stock has a market cap of $21.91 billion, a PE ratio of 78.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a twelve month low of $59.14 and a twelve month high of $89.32.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by ($0.25). The business had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.62 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.11% and a net margin of 2.78%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.15 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Friday, September 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 18th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is currently 146.79%.

International Flavors & Fragrances declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, August 4th that permits the company to buyback $2.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty chemicals company to purchase up to 12.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Citigroup cut their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $96.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Vertical Research lowered International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $93.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. UBS Group upped their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, International Flavors & Fragrances currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other International Flavors & Fragrances news, insider De Mendonca Ana Paula Teles sold 5,718 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.19, for a total transaction of $475,680.42. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael Deveau sold 8,825 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.55, for a total transaction of $754,978.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $444,774.45. This represents a 62.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 15,543 shares of company stock valued at $1,315,659 over the last 90 days. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

International Flavors & Fragrances Profile

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc (NYSE:IFF) is a global leader in the creation and production of flavors, fragrances, cosmetic actives and nutritional lipids. The company develops taste and scent solutions for a wide array of end markets including food and beverage, personal care, household goods and pharmaceutical products. Its portfolio spans natural and nature-identical flavors, fine fragrances, functional ingredients for skin and hair care, and specialty oils that enhance nutritional value and sensory appeal.

IFF’s research and development network comprises innovation centers in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, where multidisciplinary teams collaborate on aroma chemistry, sensory science and biotechnology.