Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Increases Position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 418,350 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 17,029 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned approximately 0.16% of International Flavors & Fragrances worth $35,371,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in IFF. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth approximately $452,363,000. Dodge & Cox boosted its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 31,437,763 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,658,063,000 after acquiring an additional 3,355,381 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 41.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,663,629 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,407,262 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $288,084,000 after acquiring an additional 565,769 shares during the period. Finally, Albar Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,329,000. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other International Flavors & Fragrances news, CEO J Erik Fyrwald purchased 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $74.00 per share, with a total value of $51,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 37,770 shares in the company, valued at $2,794,980. The trade was a 1.89% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Kevin O'byrne purchased 6,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $80.44 per share, for a total transaction of $522,860.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,500 shares in the company, valued at $522,860. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have acquired 11,200 shares of company stock valued at $875,980. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on IFF shares. Bank of America cut their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $90.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $104.00 to $89.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Mizuho cut their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $95.00 to $87.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $92.54.

International Flavors & Fragrances Trading Up 1.2%

International Flavors & Fragrances stock traded up $0.88 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $77.01. 432,202 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,521,402. 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's 50 day simple moving average is $75.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $82.95. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a twelve month low of $65.85 and a twelve month high of $106.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.70 billion, a PE ratio of 81.94, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.08.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.83 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.72% and a net margin of 2.12%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.13 EPS. Research analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 earnings per share for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. International Flavors & Fragrances's dividend payout ratio is presently -48.93%.

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.