FORA Capital LLC Raises Stock Position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF

Key Points

• FORA Capital LLC has significantly increased its investment in International Flavors & Fragrances by acquiring 18,445 shares, bringing its total holdings to 21,949 shares valued at approximately $1.7 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Multiple hedge funds, including Charles Schwab Investment Management and Allspring Global Investments, have also raised their stakes in International Flavors & Fragrances, indicating strong institutional interest with 96.02% of shares held by institutions.
• International Flavors & Fragrances reported revenues of $2.76 billion in its latest quarterly earnings, beating expectations, but showed a 4.3% decline compared to the previous year, with a quarterly dividend of $0.40 announced for upcoming payment.

FORA Capital LLC grew its position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 526.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,949 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,445 shares during the period. FORA Capital LLC's holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $1,703,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dodge & Cox increased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 33,774,607 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,621,247,000 after buying an additional 2,336,844 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,390,040 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,358,571,000 after acquiring an additional 171,281 shares during the last quarter. Freemont Capital Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter worth $2,143,882,000. First Pacific Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 0.8% during the first quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 4,062,075 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $315,258,000 after purchasing an additional 32,302 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in 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 valued at $288,084,000 after purchasing an additional 565,769 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.02% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at International Flavors & Fragrances

In related news, CEO J Erik Fyrwald purchased 15,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $64.95 per share, for a total transaction of $993,735.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 77,370 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,025,181.50. This trade represents a 24.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 15,450 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $64.80 per share, for a total transaction of $1,001,160.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 15,450 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,001,160. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

Shares of NYSE IFF traded up $0.36 during trading on Monday, hitting $67.46. The company had a trading volume of 1,521,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,457,816. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -43.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $71.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $75.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $62.33 and a fifty-two week high of $106.77.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.04. International Flavors & Fragrances had a negative net margin of 3.48% and a positive return on equity of 7.95%. The firm had revenue of $2.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.69 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.16 EPS. International Flavors & Fragrances's quarterly revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. International Flavors & Fragrances has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts expect that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 earnings per share for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 29th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 29th. International Flavors & Fragrances's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -103.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on IFF shares. Tigress Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Citigroup boosted their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $78.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $92.36.

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.