Czech National Bank Grows Holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Czech National Bank boosted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 5.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 58,725 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,288 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank's holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $4,558,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 36.6% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 638 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, United Community Bank raised its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. United Community Bank now owns 925 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. 96.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Flavors & Fragrances Trading Down 1.4%

International Flavors & Fragrances stock traded down $1.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $76.40. 1,272,933 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,520,977. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.93. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $75.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 81.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.05. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 52-week low of $65.85 and a 52-week high of $106.77.

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

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. International Flavors & Fragrances's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -48.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $82.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $90.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $93.43.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kevin O'byrne purchased 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $76.05 per share, for a total transaction of $342,225.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 7,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $585,280.80. This trade represents a 140.80% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO J Erik Fyrwald purchased 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $74.00 per share, for a total transaction of $51,800.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 37,770 shares in the company, valued at $2,794,980. This represents a 1.89% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 22,050 shares of company stock worth $1,688,512. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

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.