J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Grows Position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lifted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 258.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 35,888 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 25,865 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $3,034,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dodge & Cox boosted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 31,437,763 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,658,063,000 after purchasing an additional 3,355,381 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,218,759 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,554,996,000 after acquiring an additional 164,945 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,166,778 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $520,032,000 after purchasing an additional 157,948 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 41.6% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,664,250 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $478,912,000 after purchasing an additional 1,663,629 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 25.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 5,489,741 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $464,926,000 after purchasing an additional 1,121,414 shares in the last quarter. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other news, Director Kevin O'byrne bought 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $522,860. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock traded down $0.37 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $76.27. The company had a trading volume of 1,348,646 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,534,037. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 52-week low of $65.85 and a 52-week high of $106.77. The company has a 50 day moving average of $77.34 and a 200 day moving average of $85.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 81.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.93 and a current ratio of 1.84.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.14. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.72% and a net margin of 2.12%. The company had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.67 billion. On average, equities 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on IFF. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $107.00 to $104.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $90.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut 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 report on Thursday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.