Hsbc Holdings PLC Raises Holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 18.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 527,093 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 81,927 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.21% of International Flavors & Fragrances worth $44,529,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 36.6% in 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 during the period. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter worth $78,000. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Flavors & Fragrances Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE IFF traded down $0.15 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $77.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 295,261 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,528,452. The business's 50 day moving average is $76.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $85.09. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.85 and a 12-month high of $106.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $19.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 82.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.67 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 2.12% and a return on equity of 7.72%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 EPS for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances's dividend payout ratio is presently 170.21%.

Insider Activity at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other news, Director Kevin O'byrne bought 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $80.44 per share, for a total transaction of $522,860.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 6,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $522,860. This represents a ∞ 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 this link. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America dropped their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $82.00 to $76.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Cfra lowered International Flavors & Fragrances from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $77.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $95.00 to $87.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $106.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $94.54.

International Flavors & Fragrances Company 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.