Groupama Asset Managment Reduces Position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Groupama Asset Managment trimmed its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 77.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,479 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 11,987 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment's holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $292,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 11,194 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,175,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances during the 3rd quarter worth $631,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $994,000. Centiva Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the third quarter worth $348,000. Finally, Investment Management Corp of Ontario lifted its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 44.7% in the third quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 8,414 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $883,000 after acquiring an additional 2,600 shares during the period. 96.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 bought at an average cost 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 $522,860. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on IFF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $107.00 to $104.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $99.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $90.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Argus raised International Flavors & Fragrances from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, International Flavors & Fragrances presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $100.54.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE IFF traded up $6.16 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $73.01. The company had a trading volume of 4,084,247 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,510,665. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $18.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 77.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 1 year low of $65.85 and a 1 year high of $106.77. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $79.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $87.89.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 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 analysts' expectations of $2.67 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 earnings per share for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

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

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.