International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) Shares Purchased by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 65.7%, acquiring a total of 22,867 shares valued at approximately $1.775 million.
• Multiple investment firms, including Franklin Resources Inc. and Bank of Montreal Can, significantly increased their holdings in IFF during the fourth quarter, reflecting strong institutional interest in the company.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, with an annualized yield of 2.3%, indicating a commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 65.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 22,867 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,067 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $1,775,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IFF. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 101.9% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 85,156 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $7,200,000 after acquiring an additional 42,978 shares during the last quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,561 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth $6,453,000. Polymer Capital Management US LLC acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth $2,097,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 84.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 389,819 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $32,959,000 after purchasing an additional 178,664 shares in the last quarter. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. 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. Oppenheimer decreased their price target 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. Citigroup upped their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Tigress Financial assumed coverage on International Flavors & Fragrances in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $105.00 price objective on the stock. One 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $93.43.

Insider Transactions at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other news, Director Mehmood Khan acquired 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were bought at an average price of $75.33 per share, with a total value of $301,320.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 4,604 shares in the company, valued at $346,819.32. This trade represents a 662.25% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Beril Yildiz sold 2,400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.33, for a total value of $185,592.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,321 shares in the company, valued at approximately $256,812.93. The trade was a 41.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have bought a total of 22,050 shares of company stock valued at $1,688,512 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of NYSE IFF opened at $69.47 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $17.77 billion, a P/E ratio of -21.24, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.04. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $75.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $77.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.85 and a 12-month high of $106.77.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a positive return on equity of 7.99% and a negative net margin of 7.31%. International Flavors & Fragrances's revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 29th. International Flavors & Fragrances's dividend payout ratio is -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.

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