International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank lessened its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 798,199 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 22,400 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.31% of International Flavors & Fragrances worth $64,630,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 5,186 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $420,000 after acquiring an additional 1,526 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 36.1% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,660 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $539,000 after purchasing an additional 1,768 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 4,434,301 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $359,045,000 after purchasing an additional 507,193 shares during the period. Marco Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Marco Investment Management LLC now owns 23,572 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,909,000 after purchasing an additional 452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NJ State Employees Deferred Compensation Plan purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter worth about $214,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on IFF shares. Wolfe Research began coverage on International Flavors & Fragrances in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set an “underperform” rating on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $87.00 to $80.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Argus downgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 8th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $83.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.35.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

International Flavors & Fragrances stock opened at $86.64 on Monday. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 1 year low of $62.11 and a 1 year high of $97.49. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $82.62 and its 200-day moving average is $78.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.67.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $2.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.70 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a positive return on equity of 5.09% and a negative net margin of 22.36%. The business’s revenue was down 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.97 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 21st will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is presently -15.94%.

International Flavors & Fragrances Profile

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells cosmetic active and natural health ingredients for use in various consumer products in the United States, Europe, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Nourish, Health & Biosciences, Scent, and Pharma Solutions.