International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $91.40.

Several analysts recently weighed in on IFF shares. Benchmark raised their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target 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. Zacks Research downgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, KeyCorp began coverage on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in a report on Thursday. They set a “sector weight” rating on the stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Marc Birenkrant sold 1,000 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.00, for a total transaction of $85,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 3,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $292,910. This trade represents a 22.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider De Mendonca Ana Paula Teles sold 5,718 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.19, for a total transaction of $475,680.42. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 15,543 shares of company stock worth $1,315,659. 1.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Flavors & Fragrances

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 117.0% in the fourth quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 148,377 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $9,999,000 after acquiring an additional 80,014 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 27.5% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 8,831,668 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $595,166,000 after acquiring an additional 1,904,598 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 38.6% in the 1st quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 784,570 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $56,921,000 after purchasing an additional 218,420 shares during the period. Staley Capital Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 13.8% in the 4th quarter. Staley Capital Advisers Inc. now owns 976,453 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $65,803,000 after purchasing an additional 118,475 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,370,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

NYSE:IFF opened at $83.67 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $82.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $77.16. International Flavors & Fragrances has a 12 month low of $59.14 and a 12 month high of $89.32. The firm has a market cap of $21.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 76.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 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 (NYSE:IFF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by ($0.25). The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.15 EPS. On average, analysts expect that International Flavors & Fragrances will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

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

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

About International Flavors & Fragrances

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc (NYSE:IFF) develops and manufactures ingredients, flavor systems, fragrances and related solutions used in consumer and industrial products. Its offerings help customers create or enhance the taste, aroma, texture, appearance and performance of products across the food, beverage, personal care, home care, health and pharmaceutical markets.

IFF’s business includes natural and synthetic flavor compounds, fragrance ingredients and compositions, cosmetic and personal-care ingredients, specialty food ingredients, enzymes, cultures, probiotics and other bioscience-based solutions.