International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF Shares Acquired by Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P.

Key Points

• Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors boosted its stake in IFF by 38.1% in Q4, adding 54,971 shares to hold 199,302 shares valued at about $13.43 million.
• Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 142,000 shares at an average $70.13 (≈$9.96 million), increasing his personal holding to 2,422,730 shares.
• IFF missed quarterly EPS estimates ($0.80 vs. $0.85) with revenue of $2.59 billion (down 6.6% yr/yr) and recently paid a $0.40 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.60, ~2.2% yield).

Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. lifted its position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 38.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 199,302 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 54,971 shares during the quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. owned approximately 0.08% of International Flavors & Fragrances worth $13,431,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Dodge & Cox lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 31,133,186 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,915,936,000 after acquiring an additional 252,983 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,971,108 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $679,460,000 after acquiring an additional 86,134 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its position 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 worth $426,292,000 after buying an additional 1,485,976 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.02% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other news, Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 142,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $70.13 per share, for a total transaction of $9,958,460.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 2,422,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at $169,906,054.90. This represents a 6.23% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.07% of the company's stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

Shares of IFF opened at $72.44 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average is $74.63 and its 200-day moving average is $68.92. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 12 month low of $59.14 and a 12 month high of $84.45. The firm has a market cap of $18.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -52.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

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

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on IFF. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $66.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $78.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $78.30 to $77.50 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.

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