International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) Shares Sold by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 106,794 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 3,388 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $8,288,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of IFF. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 36.6% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 638 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, United Community Bank grew its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 19.4% during the 4th quarter. United Community Bank now owns 925 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.02% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IFF has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Citigroup raised their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Bank of America dropped their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, International Flavors & Fragrances currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $93.43.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Flavors & Fragrances

In related news, Director Mehmood Khan purchased 4,000 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $75.33 per share, for a total transaction of $301,320.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 4,604 shares in the company, valued at approximately $346,819.32. The trade was a 662.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen N. Landsman bought 12,000 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $77.28 per share, for a total transaction of $927,360.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $927,360. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders bought 22,050 shares of company stock valued at $1,688,512. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Trading Down 3.0%

IFF traded down $2.32 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $76.05. 1,058,307 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,520,637. 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 50-day moving average price of $75.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.79. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 52-week low of $65.85 and a 52-week high of $106.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.45 billion, a PE ratio of 80.90, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.05.

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

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Investors of record on Friday, June 20th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.10%. 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.