International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group trimmed its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) by 4.4% in Q4, selling 28,256 shares and ending the period with 606,828 shares (≈0.24% of the company) valued at about $40.9 million.
• Director Paul J. Fribourg purchased 142,000 shares on March 12 at an average $70.13 (≈$9.96M), increasing his holdings to 2,422,730 shares (a 6.23% rise); insiders now own about 1.07% of the company.
• Analysts rate IFF a “Moderate Buy” (12 Buys, 4 Holds, 1 Sell) with an average target of $88.10; the company recently missed EPS ($0.80 vs. $0.85), saw revenue decline 6.6% year-over-year, and pays a $0.40 quarterly dividend (~2.2% yield).

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. cut its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 606,828 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 28,256 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.24% of International Flavors & Fragrances worth $40,894,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in IFF. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 5.3% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 26,315 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,042,000 after buying an additional 1,335 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 15.7% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,976 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 71.5% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,454 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $811,000 after buying an additional 4,358 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 25.5% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,527 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $584,000 after buying an additional 1,530 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 55.7% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 587 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at International Flavors & Fragrances

In related news, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 142,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $70.13 per share, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 6.23% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on IFF shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, January 4th. Barclays cut their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $91.00 to $80.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $66.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Berenberg Bank cut their target price on 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $88.10.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

IFF opened at $72.00 on Friday. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 1-year low of $59.14 and a 1-year high of $84.45. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $74.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.21. The company has a market capitalization of $18.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -52.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). International Flavors & Fragrances had a negative net margin of 3.20% and a positive return on equity of 7.67%. The company 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 posted $0.97 EPS. International Flavors & Fragrances's revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

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

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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