International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• International Flavors & Fragrances has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, with 13 buy ratings and 5 hold ratings among 18 analysts covering the stock. The average 12-month price target is about $91.16.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, posting EPS of $1.25 versus estimates of $1.08 and revenue of $2.74 billion versus expectations of $2.64 billion. Revenue was still down 3.6% from a year earlier.
• IFF also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.40, equal to an annualized yield of about 2.1%. In addition, director Paul J. Fribourg bought 260,000 shares, while institutional investors continue to hold the vast majority of the stock.

Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the eighteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $91.1647.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on IFF shares. Berenberg Bank raised their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $83.00 to $84.80 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $100.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

Shares of NYSE IFF opened at $77.62 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $19.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.74, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.93. International Flavors & Fragrances has a twelve month low of $59.14 and a twelve month high of $84.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a 50 day moving average of $76.68 and a 200 day moving average of $74.30.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.17. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 7.78%.The business had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.64 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.20 EPS. The company's revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that International Flavors & Fragrances will post 4.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 18th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 18th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. International Flavors & Fragrances's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other International Flavors & Fragrances news, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 260,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $74.28 per share, with a total value of $19,312,800.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,682,730 shares in the company, valued at approximately $199,273,184.40. The trade was a 10.73% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Flavors & Fragrances

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of IFF. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 131.3% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,167,176 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $441,068,000 after acquiring an additional 4,069,075 shares during the period. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth about $211,703,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 1,842.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,491,606 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $183,264,000 after purchasing an additional 2,363,307 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 8,831,668 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $595,166,000 after purchasing an additional 1,904,598 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter worth approximately $113,284,000. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.