Brandes Investment Partners LP Grows Stock Position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF

Brandes Investment Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 26.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,043,352 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 219,716 shares during the quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $70,312,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 55.7% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 587 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 610 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 42.8% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 798 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the period. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 1,190.0% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 903 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 833 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Trading Up 4.4%

Shares of IFF stock opened at $75.79 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $19.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $73.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $72.15. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $59.14 and a fifty-two week high of $84.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $2.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.64 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 7.78%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.20 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 18th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 18th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 260,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $74.28 per share, for a total transaction of $19,312,800.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,682,730 shares in the company, valued at $199,273,184.40. This trade represents a 10.73% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In the last three months, insiders bought 415,500 shares of company stock worth $30,276,875. Company insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on IFF. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $97.00 to $105.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings raised International Flavors & Fragrances from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Mizuho raised their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $75.00 to $86.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.05.

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.