International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) Stock Holdings Lifted by Continental Grain Co.

Continental Grain Co. lifted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 14.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,928,630 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 239,500 shares during the period. International Flavors & Fragrances makes up approximately 55.8% of Continental Grain Co.'s portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Continental Grain Co. owned about 0.75% of International Flavors & Fragrances worth $163,066,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA raised its position in 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 during the period. Choreo LLC raised its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 55.7% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 24,401 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,055,000 after buying an additional 8,728 shares during the period. Covea Finance lifted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 79.0% during the 4th quarter. Covea Finance now owns 123,090 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $10,407,000 after acquiring an additional 54,340 shares in the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the 4th quarter valued at about $7,508,000. Finally, S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 372.9% during the fourth quarter. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC now owns 63,104 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $5,335,000 after purchasing an additional 49,761 shares during the period. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other International Flavors & Fragrances news, Director Kevin O'byrne purchased 6,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $80.44 per share, for a total transaction of $522,860.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $522,860. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:IFF traded up $1.26 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $75.90. 719,770 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,527,860. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.93. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $77.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $85.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 80.74, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.85 and a 12-month high of $106.77.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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. On average, research analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances's dividend payout ratio is currently 170.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on IFF. Cfra lowered shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $77.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Argus upgraded shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on 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. Mizuho lowered their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $95.00 to $87.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $94.54.

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.