Cerity Partners LLC Has $1.98 Million Stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 75.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,820 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,089 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $1,975,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter worth $27,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the second quarter valued at about $38,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the third quarter worth about $44,000. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 1,856.0% during the 2nd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 489 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 464 shares during the period. 96.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

Shares of IFF traded down $1.11 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $90.16. 1,427,687 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,671,458. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 12 month low of $72.94 and a 12 month high of $106.77. The business's 50-day moving average price is $97.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.93 and a current ratio of 2.62.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.46). The business had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.83 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a positive return on equity of 7.16% and a negative net margin of 20.33%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.16 earnings per share for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. International Flavors & Fragrances's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -17.60%.

Insider Activity at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other news, insider Yuvraj Arora sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.75, for a total transaction of $458,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $297,086.50. This represents a 60.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on IFF. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $93.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $108.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $111.00 to $110.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the company from $109.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $111.00.

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.