International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) Stake Raised by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) by 105.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 127,187 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 65,187 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $10,298,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Winder Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the third quarter worth about $1,728,544,000. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 16.3% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 5,672,776 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $388,358,000 after purchasing an additional 795,797 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 34.0% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,927,108 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $267,711,000 after acquiring an additional 996,629 shares during the period. First Pacific Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 15.8% in the 3rd quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 3,893,127 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $265,394,000 after acquiring an additional 530,595 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,119,754 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $212,674,000 after acquiring an additional 179,894 shares during the period. 96.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE IFF traded down $0.81 on Thursday, hitting $84.33. 1,292,672 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,125,175. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $62.11 and a fifty-two week high of $97.49. The company has a market cap of $21.53 billion, a PE ratio of -8.40, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $81.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $77.93.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.75 by ($0.03). International Flavors & Fragrances had a positive return on equity of 5.09% and a negative net margin of 22.36%. The firm had revenue of $2.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.97 EPS. The company's revenue was down 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 3.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 22nd were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances's payout ratio is -15.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $87.00 to $80.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $83.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $86.35.

International Flavors & Fragrances Company Profile

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.