Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF

Key Points

• Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 8.1% to 544,724 shares, worth about $36.7 million, and institutional investors collectively own ~96.02% of IFF.
• Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 142,000 shares at an average price of $70.13 (~$9.96 million), raising his holding to 2,422,730 shares (a 6.23% increase).
• IFF reported Q4 EPS of $0.80, missing estimates by $0.05 while revenue was $2.59B (down 6.6% YoY); the company pays a $0.40 quarterly dividend (2.2% yield) and has a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $89.17 target.

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 8.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 544,724 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 40,890 shares during the quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned approximately 0.21% of International Flavors & Fragrances worth $36,709,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 131.3% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,167,176 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $441,068,000 after acquiring an additional 4,069,075 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 1,842.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,491,606 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $183,264,000 after acquiring an additional 2,363,307 shares during the last quarter. Dodge & Cox increased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 36,972,638 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,275,296,000 after acquiring an additional 1,925,251 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 51.4% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 4,706,279 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $289,624,000 after acquiring an additional 1,598,266 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 27.3% in the 3rd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 6,927,070 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $426,292,000 after acquiring an additional 1,485,976 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.02% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other International Flavors & Fragrances news, Director Paul J. Fribourg purchased 142,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $70.13 per share, with a total value of $9,958,460.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,422,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $169,906,054.90. This trade represents a 6.23% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.07% of the company's stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

Shares of IFF stock opened at $72.44 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $18.50 billion, a P/E ratio of -52.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.02. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $74.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $69.01. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a one year low of $59.14 and a one year high of $84.45.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.85 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a positive return on equity of 7.67% and a negative net margin of 3.20%.International Flavors & Fragrances's revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.97 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 EPS for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 20th. International Flavors & Fragrances's dividend payout ratio is presently -116.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IFF has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $78.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Argus lifted their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $89.17.

About International Flavors & Fragrances

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc NYSE: IFF is a global leader in the creation and production of flavors, fragrances, cosmetic actives and nutritional lipids. The company develops taste and scent solutions for a wide array of end markets including food and beverage, personal care, household goods and pharmaceutical products. Its portfolio spans natural and nature-identical flavors, fine fragrances, functional ingredients for skin and hair care, and specialty oils that enhance nutritional value and sensory appeal.

IFF's research and development network comprises innovation centers in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, where multidisciplinary teams collaborate on aroma chemistry, sensory science and biotechnology.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.