International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $75.61 and last traded at $75.00, with a volume of 2096 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $76.45.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on IFF shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $107.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $114.00 to $104.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup lowered their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Cfra cut International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $113.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.31.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company’s fifty day moving average is $81.66 and its 200 day moving average is $88.94. The firm has a market cap of $18.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 77.67, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.14. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.72% and a net margin of 2.12%. The company had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.67 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 EPS for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is presently 170.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other International Flavors & Fragrances news, Director Kevin O’byrne purchased 6,500 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $80.44 per share, for a total transaction of $522,860.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $522,860. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Flavors & Fragrances

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in IFF. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 638 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth approximately $78,000. 96.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About International Flavors & Fragrances

International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc engages in the manufacture and supply of flavors and fragrances used in the food, beverage, personal care, and household products industries. It operates through the following segments: Nourish, Health & Biosciences, Scent and Pharma Solutions. The Nourish segment consists of legacy Taste segment combined with N&B’s Food & Beverage division and the food protection business of N&B’s Health & Biosciences division.