Candriam S.C.A. Grows Position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 24.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 27,177 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,374 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $2,298,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 615,006 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $64,533,000 after purchasing an additional 7,553 shares in the last quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA lifted its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA now owns 114,179 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $9,654,000 after purchasing an additional 11,406 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC increased its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 55.7% in the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 24,401 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,055,000 after acquiring an additional 8,728 shares during the last quarter. Covea Finance increased its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 79.0% during the fourth quarter. Covea Finance now owns 123,090 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $10,407,000 after buying an additional 54,340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth approximately $7,508,000. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company's stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other news, Director Kevin O'byrne purchased 6,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were purchased 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 directly owns 6,500 shares in the company, valued at $522,860. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Trading Down 0.5 %

IFF stock traded down $0.40 during trading on Thursday, reaching $79.16. The company had a trading volume of 1,773,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,473,477. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 52 week low of $78.59 and a 52 week high of $106.77. The company has a market cap of $20.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 84.21, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a 50 day moving average of $83.54 and a 200 day moving average of $91.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.93.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.14. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 2.12% and a return on equity of 7.72%. The company had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.67 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances's dividend payout ratio is 170.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup cut their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective 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. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $88.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $114.00 to $104.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.50.

International Flavors & Fragrances Company Profile

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.