UBS Group AG Buys 590,997 Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF

Key Points

• UBS Group AG boosted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 53.5% in Q4, purchasing an additional 590,997 shares to hold 1,695,343 shares (about 0.66% of the company) valued at $114.25 million.
• Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 142,000 IFF shares on March 12 at an average $70.13 (≈$9.96 million), increasing his holdings to 2,422,730 shares and raising his ownership by 6.23%.
• Wall Street coverage is generally positive—12 analysts rate IFF a Buy, 4 a Hold and 1 a Sell—giving a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $87.50.

UBS Group AG raised its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 53.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,695,343 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 590,997 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned 0.66% of International Flavors & Fragrances worth $114,249,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in IFF. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 5.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 26,315 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,042,000 after acquiring an additional 1,335 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 15.7% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,976 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $309,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 71.5% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,454 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $811,000 after acquiring an additional 4,358 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 25.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,527 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $584,000 after acquiring an additional 1,530 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 55.7% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 587 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 142,000 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $70.13 per share, for a total transaction of $9,958,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,422,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $169,906,054.90. This trade represents a 6.23% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on IFF. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, January 4th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $66.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Argus upped their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $87.50.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock opened at $70.91 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -51.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.93. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 1-year low of $59.14 and a 1-year high of $84.45. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $72.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.94.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.85 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a positive return on equity of 7.67% and a negative net margin of 3.20%.International Flavors & Fragrances's quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.97 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 18th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 18th. International Flavors & Fragrances's dividend payout ratio is presently -116.79%.

International Flavors & Fragrances Company Profile

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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