KBC Group NV Boosts Stock Holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,484 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 834 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $2,254,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter worth $46,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 1,856.0% during the second quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 489 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on IFF. Morgan Stanley raised International Flavors & Fragrances from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $111.00 to $110.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Vertical Research upgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $109.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $93.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $109.00 to $120.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $109.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Yuvraj Arora sold 5,000 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.75, for a total value of $458,750.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $297,086.50. The trade was a 60.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of IFF opened at $86.61 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $100.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.43. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 52 week low of $72.89 and a 52 week high of $106.77. The company has a market capitalization of $22.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.53, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 2.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.46). International Flavors & Fragrances had a positive return on equity of 7.16% and a negative net margin of 20.33%. The business had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.17 EPS for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is currently -17.60%.

International Flavors & Fragrances 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.