Candriam S.C.A. Raises Position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Candriam S.C.A. increased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 24.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 27,177 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 5,374 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $2,298,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter worth $9,962,000. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 74,256 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $6,278,000 after buying an additional 1,099 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter worth $8,099,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 13.3% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 13,414 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,134,000 after buying an additional 1,575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 116,419 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $9,843,000 after buying an additional 3,400 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:IFF opened at $82.60 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 87.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 12-month low of $78.64 and a 12-month high of $106.77. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $83.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.26.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.67 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.72% and a net margin of 2.12%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 earnings per share for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.94%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is presently 170.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other International Flavors & Fragrances news, Director Kevin O’byrne bought 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $80.44 per share, with a total value 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 $522,860. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on IFF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $107.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Argus raised International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup reduced their target price 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised International Flavors & Fragrances from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $111.00 to $110.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.