Clearbridge Investments LLC Purchases 28,287 Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF

Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,032,069 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,287 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $69,551,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tran Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter valued at about $21,924,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 28.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,098,575 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $67,612,000 after buying an additional 245,719 shares during the last quarter. Dodge & Cox grew its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 5.5% during the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 36,972,638 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,275,296,000 after buying an additional 1,925,251 shares during the last quarter. Icahn Carl C grew its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 26.7% during the third quarter. Icahn Carl C now owns 4,750,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $292,315,000 after buying an additional 1,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 117.0% during the fourth quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 148,377 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $9,999,000 after buying an additional 80,014 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

International Flavors & Fragrances stock opened at $72.68 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $73.75 and a 200-day moving average of $72.08. The firm has a market cap of $18.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.94. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 1-year low of $59.14 and a 1-year high of $84.45.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.17. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 7.78% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The business had revenue of $2.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.64 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.20 earnings per share. International Flavors & Fragrances’s quarterly revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.56 EPS for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 18th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 18th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 260,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $74.28 per share, for a total transaction of $19,312,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 2,682,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,273,184.40. This represents a 10.73% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have bought 415,500 shares of company stock valued at $30,276,875 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IFF has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Barclays raised their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $97.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised International Flavors & Fragrances from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, International Flavors & Fragrances currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $90.49.

International Flavors & Fragrances Company Profile

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc (NYSE:IFF) is a global leader in the creation and production of flavors, fragrances, cosmetic actives and nutritional lipids. The company develops taste and scent solutions for a wide array of end markets including food and beverage, personal care, household goods and pharmaceutical products. Its portfolio spans natural and nature-identical flavors, fine fragrances, functional ingredients for skin and hair care, and specialty oils that enhance nutritional value and sensory appeal.

IFF’s research and development network comprises innovation centers in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, where multidisciplinary teams collaborate on aroma chemistry, sensory science and biotechnology.