MML Investors Services LLC Sells 7,718 Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

MML Investors Services LLC reduced its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 25.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 22,369 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 7,718 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $1,891,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 638 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the 4th quarter valued at about $78,000. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on IFF shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $106.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Mizuho lowered their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $107.00 to $104.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Argus raised International Flavors & Fragrances from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Cfra lowered shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $77.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, International Flavors & Fragrances has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $94.54.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

NYSE:IFF traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $79.14. 148,000 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,524,439. The company has a market cap of $20.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 84.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.08. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 1 year low of $65.85 and a 1 year high of $106.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $76.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $84.39. 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 released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.67 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 2.12% and a return on equity of 7.72%. Sell-side analysts forecast that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 EPS 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 11th. Investors of record on Friday, June 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. International Flavors & Fragrances's payout ratio is 170.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kevin O'byrne bought 6,500 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $80.44 per share, with a total value of $522,860.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $522,860. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

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.