51,978 Shares in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) Acquired by Zacks Investment Management

Zacks Investment Management bought a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 51,978 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $4,395,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 638 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter worth approximately $78,000. 96.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

International Flavors & Fragrances stock traded up $1.01 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $75.65. The company had a trading volume of 593,373 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,527,310. The company has a 50 day moving average of $77.72 and a 200-day moving average of $85.98. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 52 week low of $65.85 and a 52 week high of $106.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $19.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 80.48, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.67 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 170.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Flavors & Fragrances

In related news, Director Kevin O'byrne purchased 6,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $80.44 per share, with a total value of $522,860.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $522,860. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on IFF shares. Cfra lowered International Flavors & Fragrances from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $77.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of 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. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $104.00 to $89.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $107.00 to $104.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note 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 issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, International Flavors & Fragrances has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $94.54.

International Flavors & Fragrances 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.