International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF Shares Acquired by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 15.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 523,899 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 69,742 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $37,940,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,092,368 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $751,875,000 after acquiring an additional 121,260 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its position 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 valued at $595,166,000 after acquiring an additional 1,904,598 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,519,812 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $506,760,000 after purchasing an additional 352,636 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,771,894 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $454,607,000 after acquiring an additional 172,781 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 28.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,042,758 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $407,221,000 after purchasing an additional 1,336,479 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

IFF opened at $77.33 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $76.59 and a 200-day moving average of $74.44. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 1-year low of $59.14 and a 1-year high of $84.45. The company has a market capitalization of $19.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.65, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.49.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.64 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 7.78%.International Flavors & Fragrances’s quarterly revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.20 EPS. Equities analysts expect that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 18th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 18th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is presently 48.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $74.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup cut their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $96.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $97.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.16.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 260,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $74.28 per share, for a total transaction of $19,312,800.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 2,682,730 shares in the company, valued at $199,273,184.40. This represents a 10.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About International Flavors & Fragrances

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.