Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC Purchases Shares of 18,690 International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF

Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 18,690 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,481,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in IFF. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 14,483.8% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 43,100,116 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,414,391,000 after acquiring an additional 42,804,581 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the second quarter worth approximately $1,835,955,000. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,092,368 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $751,875,000 after purchasing an additional 121,260 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 8,831,668 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $595,166,000 after acquiring an additional 1,904,598 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,519,812 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $506,760,000 after purchasing an additional 352,636 shares during the last quarter. 96.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other International Flavors & Fragrances news, insider De Mendonca Ana Paula Teles sold 5,718 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.19, for a total value of $475,680.42. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael Deveau sold 8,825 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.55, for a total value of $754,978.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $444,774.45. This trade represents a 62.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 15,543 shares of company stock worth $1,315,659 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

IFF traded down $0.56 on Tuesday, reaching $85.79. The company had a trading volume of 1,678,467 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,813,092. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a one year low of $59.14 and a one year high of $89.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $21.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.71, a PEG ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a fifty day moving average of $81.84 and a 200-day moving average of $77.05.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by ($0.25). International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.11% and a net margin of 2.78%.The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.15 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, August 4th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty chemicals company to buy up to 12.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Friday, September 18th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 18th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is currently 146.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on IFF shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Vertical Research downgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $93.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Zacks Research cut International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.40.

About International Flavors & Fragrances

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.