International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) Shares Sold by CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co decreased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 9.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 204,263 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 20,521 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned 0.08% of International Flavors & Fragrances worth $17,265,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter worth $406,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,809 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $924,000 after acquiring an additional 750 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 470,676 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $49,388,000 after purchasing an additional 9,555 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 46.8% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,041 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 10,600 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $896,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.02% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kevin O'byrne purchased 6,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $80.44 per share, for a total transaction of $522,860.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 6,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $522,860. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $106.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Citigroup dropped their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $99.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays lowered their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $82.00 to $76.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $90.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, International Flavors & Fragrances presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $94.54.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

IFF stock traded down $0.37 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $76.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,347,178 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,534,027. The stock has a market cap of $19.50 billion, a PE ratio of 81.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. The company's 50 day moving average is $77.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $85.75. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $65.85 and a fifty-two week high of $106.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

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

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances's payout ratio is currently 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.