Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Increases Stock Position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 378.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 13,800 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,913 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $1,167,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 638 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, United Community Bank lifted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. United Community Bank now owns 925 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kevin O'byrne purchased 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $76.05 per share, with a total value of $342,225.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 7,696 shares in the company, valued at $585,280.80. This represents a 140.80% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Stephen N. Landsman purchased 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, for a total transaction of $927,360.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 12,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $927,360. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 28,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,211,372 over the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on IFF. Mizuho decreased their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $95.00 to $87.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $90.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $107.00 to $104.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $104.00 to $89.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays upgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $76.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $92.54.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

Shares of IFF traded up $0.46 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $76.54. 2,754,559 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,529,298. The business's 50-day moving average price is $75.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.93. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a twelve month low of $65.85 and a twelve month high of $106.77. The company has a market capitalization of $19.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 81.43, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.08.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.83 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.13 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Investors of record on Friday, June 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 20th. International Flavors & Fragrances's dividend payout ratio is currently -48.93%.

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.