Hedges Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 87.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,800 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,500 shares during the period. Hedges Asset Management LLC's holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $916,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,271,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter worth $8,099,000. Cibc World Markets Corp raised its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 299.1% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 138,522 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $11,712,000 after buying an additional 103,810 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 23.6% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 361,073 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $30,529,000 after buying an additional 68,970 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the first quarter worth $688,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.02% of the company's stock.
International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance
NYSE IFF traded down $0.75 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $73.60. 2,629,627 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,521,548. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 52-week low of $65.85 and a 52-week high of $106.77. The company has a market capitalization of $18.83 billion, a PE ratio of -22.51, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The firm's 50-day moving average is $76.21 and its 200-day moving average is $79.42.
International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.08. International Flavors & Fragrances had a negative net margin of 7.31% and a positive return on equity of 7.99%. The business had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.13 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.17%. International Flavors & Fragrances's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -48.93%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $95.00 to $87.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $104.00 to $89.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. One equities research 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, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $93.43.
Read Our Latest Analysis on International Flavors & Fragrances
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, CAO Beril Yildiz sold 2,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.33, for a total transaction of $185,592.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,321 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $256,812.93. This trade represents a 41.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen N. Landsman acquired 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $77.28 per share, with a total value of $927,360.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 12,000 shares in the company, valued at $927,360. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 22,050 shares of company stock worth $1,688,512. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
International Flavors & Fragrances Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
See Also

Before you consider International Flavors & Fragrances, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and International Flavors & Fragrances wasn't on the list.
While International Flavors & Fragrances currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Wondering what the next stocks will be that hit it big, with solid fundamentals? Enter your email address to see which stocks MarketBeat analysts could become the next blockbuster growth stocks.
Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.