International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) Shares Sold by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 32.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,505 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 1,700 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $296,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. First Pacific Advisors LP increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 4,029,773 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $340,717,000 after purchasing an additional 22,991 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 103.3% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 296,908 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $25,104,000 after buying an additional 150,891 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances during the 4th quarter worth $16,037,000. United Community Bank lifted its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. United Community Bank now owns 925 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kevin O’byrne acquired 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $80.44 per share, with a total value of $522,860.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $522,860. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on IFF shares. Citigroup reduced their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $107.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Argus raised International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.50.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Down 0.5 %

International Flavors & Fragrances stock opened at $79.16 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $83.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $91.89. The company has a market cap of $20.24 billion, a PE ratio of 84.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. 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 1-year low of $78.91 and a 1-year high of $106.77.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 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 analyst estimates of $2.67 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 2.12% and a return on equity of 7.72%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.02%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 170.21%.

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.