Edgestream Partners L.P. Acquires New Shares in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 47,197 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,991,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the third quarter worth $42,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the third quarter worth $48,000. 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 worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth $78,000. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

NYSE:IFF opened at $82.60 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.12 billion, a PE ratio of 87.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $83.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $92.31. 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 12 month low of $78.64 and a 12 month high of $106.77.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.67 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.72% and a net margin of 2.12%. On average, sell-side 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.94%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is presently 170.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Flavors & Fragrances

In related news, Director Kevin O’byrne acquired 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $80.44 per share, for a total transaction of $522,860.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $522,860. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America decreased their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Barclays decreased their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $88.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup decreased their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $114.00 to $104.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $113.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.50.

International Flavors & Fragrances 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.