International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the nineteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $95.78.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $100.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $75.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $87.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $87.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

Shares of IFF stock opened at $94.94 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $94.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $85.92. The company has a market capitalization of $24.24 billion, a PE ratio of -9.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.26. International Flavors & Fragrances has a twelve month low of $62.11 and a twelve month high of $99.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.27. International Flavors & Fragrances had a negative net margin of 22.01% and a positive return on equity of 5.78%. The company had revenue of $2.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.78 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances will post 3.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Investors of record on Friday, June 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is currently -16.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other news, insider Angela Strzelecki sold 2,588 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.66, for a total value of $247,568.08. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 8,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $816,840.74. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Flavors & Fragrances

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cohen Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter valued at $226,000. Bayesian Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $9,316,000. Clearfield Capital Management LP purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,771,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,733,402 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $140,355,000 after purchasing an additional 280,069 shares during the period. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 68,751 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $5,567,000 after purchasing an additional 2,514 shares in the last quarter. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Flavors & Fragrances Company Profile

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells cosmetic active and natural health ingredients for use in various consumer products in the United States, Europe, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Nourish, Health & Biosciences, Scent, and Pharma Solutions.