Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Sells 5,025 Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lessened its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 87,882 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 5,025 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $7,430,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of IFF. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,528 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 22.5% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 31,157 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,634,000 after acquiring an additional 5,713 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth about $111,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 30.9% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 926,873 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $78,367,000 after purchasing an additional 218,792 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 178,075 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $15,056,000 after purchasing an additional 2,749 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $82.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays upgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $76.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $107.00 to $104.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $92.54.

International Flavors & Fragrances Trading Up 1.2%

International Flavors & Fragrances stock traded up $0.88 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $76.02. The stock had a trading volume of 1,026,603 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,523,293. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $75.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $81.60. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a one year low of $65.85 and a one year high of $106.77. The stock has a market cap of $19.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 80.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.83 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 2.12% and a return on equity of 7.72%. The firm's revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.13 EPS. On average, equities 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 will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. International Flavors & Fragrances's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -48.93%.

Insider Activity at International Flavors & Fragrances

In related news, CEO J Erik Fyrwald acquired 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $74.00 per share, for a total transaction of $51,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 37,770 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,794,980. This trade represents a 1.89% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Kevin O'byrne acquired 6,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $80.44 per share, with a total value of $522,860.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 6,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $522,860. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased 28,550 shares of company stock worth $2,211,372 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Profile

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.