Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 65,899 Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF

Handelsbanken Fonder AB decreased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 49.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,200 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 65,899 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $4,461,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of IFF. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 5.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 26,315 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,042,000 after buying an additional 1,335 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 15.7% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,976 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $309,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 71.5% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,454 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $811,000 after purchasing an additional 4,358 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 25.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,527 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $584,000 after purchasing an additional 1,530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 55.7% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 587 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 142,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $70.13 per share, for a total transaction of $9,958,460.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 2,422,730 shares in the company, valued at approximately $169,906,054.90. The trade was a 6.23% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

International Flavors & Fragrances stock opened at $75.32 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $72.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.21. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a one year low of $59.14 and a one year high of $84.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market cap of $19.23 billion, a PE ratio of 23.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.93.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.17. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 7.78%.The firm had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.20 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.55 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 18th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer upped their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings raised International Flavors & Fragrances from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $75.00 to $86.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, International Flavors & Fragrances presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $90.80.

International Flavors & Fragrances 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.