International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) Shares Purchased by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 7.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 181,304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,078 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.07% of International Flavors & Fragrances worth $15,329,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of IFF. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 638 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

NYSE:IFF opened at $80.77 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.93. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $83.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $91.21. The stock has a market cap of $20.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 85.93, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.67 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 2.12% and a return on equity of 7.72%. On average, research analysts expect that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.98%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is currently 170.21%.

Insider Transactions at International Flavors & Fragrances

In related news, Director Kevin O’byrne purchased 6,500 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $80.44 per share, with a total value of $522,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $522,860. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on IFF shares. Bank of America dropped their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $113.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays dropped their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $88.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Cfra downgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $77.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $107.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, International Flavors & Fragrances currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.50.

International Flavors & Fragrances Company 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.