International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF) – What Are Researchers Saying About This Stock?

Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $94.28.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Benchmark lifted their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Zacks Research raised International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Barclays raised their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $96.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Wall Street Zen raised International Flavors & Fragrances from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, October 25th. Finally, Vertical Research downgraded shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $93.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, August 6th.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock opened at $90.89 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 2.06 and a quick ratio of 1.72. The company has a 50-day moving average of $86.66 and a 200 day moving average of $78.41. The firm has a market cap of $23.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 83.39, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.91. International Flavors & Fragrances has a 1 year low of $61.29 and a 1 year high of $94.65.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last announced 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 net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 7.11%. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.15 EPS. International Flavors & Fragrances’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances will post 3.24 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 Wednesday, January 13th. Investors of record on Saturday, December 19th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 18th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is presently 146.79%.

International Flavors & Fragrances declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, August 4th that allows the company to buy back $2.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to repurchase up to 12.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Share repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other International Flavors & Fragrances news, insider De Mendonca Ana Paula Teles sold 5,718 shares of the 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Marc Birenkrant sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.00, for a total value of $85,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 3,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $292,910. This represents a 22.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 15,543 shares of company stock valued at $1,315,659 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of International Flavors & Fragrances

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Korea Investment CORP bought a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,170,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 815.7% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 35,485 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,811,000 after buying an additional 31,610 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the second quarter valued at approximately $3,203,000. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the second quarter worth $1,481,000. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the first quarter worth $950,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Company Profile

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc (NYSE:IFF) develops and manufactures ingredients, flavor systems, fragrances and specialty solutions used in consumer and industrial products. Its offerings support food and beverage manufacturers, fragrance and personal care companies, household-product makers, pharmaceutical businesses and other customers.

The company’s portfolio includes flavors for beverages, dairy products, sweet goods, savory foods and other applications; fragrances for fine fragrance, personal care and home care products; and functional ingredients, enzymes, cultures, natural extracts and other specialty materials.