Polymer Capital Management US LLC Makes New Investment in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Polymer Capital Management US LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 24,800 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $2,097,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA raised its holdings 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 worth $9,654,000 after purchasing an additional 11,406 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC raised its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 55.7% during the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 24,401 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,055,000 after acquiring an additional 8,728 shares in the last quarter. Covea Finance boosted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 79.0% in the fourth quarter. Covea Finance now owns 123,090 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $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 in the fourth quarter worth $7,508,000. Finally, S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.02% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on IFF shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $106.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $99.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target 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. One research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, International Flavors & Fragrances currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $98.69.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

Shares of IFF traded up $1.86 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $73.24. The stock had a trading volume of 2,125,058 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,515,471. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 77.92, a PEG 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $79.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $87.45. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $65.85 and a fifty-two week high of $106.77.

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

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances's payout ratio is presently 170.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kevin O'byrne acquired 6,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $80.44 per share, for a total transaction of $522,860.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 6,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $522,860. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About International Flavors & Fragrances

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.