Vanguard Group Inc. Has $2.56 Billion Stock Position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 6.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,740,330 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 1,910,583 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 11.65% of International Flavors & Fragrances worth $2,557,371,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 7.8% during the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 4,778,678 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $410,919,000 after acquiring an additional 344,377 shares during the last quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 3,980,310 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $322,286,000 after purchasing an additional 87,183 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 2,375,699 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $192,360,000 after buying an additional 33,548 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,733,402 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $140,355,000 after buying an additional 280,069 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 1,455,140 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $117,823,000 after acquiring an additional 52,584 shares during the last quarter. 96.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE IFF traded down $0.95 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $95.67. 859,237 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,270,109. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 12 month low of $62.11 and a 12 month high of $99.91. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $96.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $87.25.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.27. International Flavors & Fragrances had a positive return on equity of 5.78% and a negative net margin of 22.01%. The firm had revenue of $2.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.78 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 3.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 21st were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -16.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on IFF. Barclays upped their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised International Flavors & Fragrances from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $75.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $100.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. Mizuho lifted their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $97.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Angela Strzelecki sold 2,588 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.66, for a total value of $247,568.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $816,840.74. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.