International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF Stock Position Boosted by Ethic Inc.

Key Points

• Ethic Inc. increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. by 13.2%, owning 47,612 shares worth approximately $3.69 million at the end of the most recent quarter.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds now hold 96.02% of the company's stock, indicating strong institutional interest in the specialty chemicals sector.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, with an annualized yield of 2.4%, despite a negative net margin of 3.48% for the latest quarter.

Ethic Inc. grew its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 13.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 47,612 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 5,567 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $3,687,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wahed Invest LLC grew its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 6,339 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $536,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Commerce Bank grew its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 4,141 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $350,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC grew its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 4.9% during the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 3,671 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC grew its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 3.3% during the first quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 6,637 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $515,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. Finally, Channing Global Advisors LLC grew its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 0.5% during the first quarter. Channing Global Advisors LLC now owns 46,234 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $3,588,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the period. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Up 2.8%

IFF traded up $1.84 during trading on Friday, hitting $67.97. The company had a trading volume of 831,727 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,805,065. The company has a market cap of $17.42 billion, a PE ratio of -43.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.04. The business has a 50-day moving average of $72.49 and a 200-day moving average of $76.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 1.12. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 1-year low of $62.33 and a 1-year high of $106.77.

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

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Investors of record on Monday, September 29th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis 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 -103.23%.

Insider Transactions at International Flavors & Fragrances

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IFF has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $83.00 to $79.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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. Barclays decreased 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 research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Tigress Financial started coverage on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $105.00 target price for the company. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $92.36.

About International Flavors & Fragrances

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.