International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) Reaches New 1-Year High on Analyst Upgrade

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $82.00 to $93.00. Barclays currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. International Flavors & Fragrances traded as high as $95.00 and last traded at $95.00, with a volume of 2262 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $94.33.

IFF has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Citigroup increased their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $87.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Finally, Argus cut International Flavors & Fragrances from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $93.18.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Flavors & Fragrances

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of IFF. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 3,000.0% during the 4th quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 310 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Quent Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 183.2% during the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 371 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. 96.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $83.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $79.30. The company has a market cap of $24.82 billion, a PE ratio of -9.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $2.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.78 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a positive return on equity of 5.09% and a negative net margin of 22.36%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Investors of record on Friday, June 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. International Flavors & Fragrances's dividend payout ratio is -15.94%.

About International Flavors & Fragrances

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells cosmetic active and natural health ingredients for use in various consumer products in the United States, Europe, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Nourish, Health & Biosciences, Scent, and Pharma Solutions.