Rice Hall James & Associates LLC Buys Shares of 6,950 International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF

Rice Hall James & Associates LLC bought a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 6,950 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $468,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of IFF. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 5.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 26,315 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,042,000 after acquiring an additional 1,335 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 15.7% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,976 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $309,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 71.5% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,454 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $811,000 after acquiring an additional 4,358 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 25.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,527 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $584,000 after acquiring an additional 1,530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 55.7% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 587 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 260,000 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $74.28 per share, for a total transaction of $19,312,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 2,682,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,273,184.40. The trade was a 10.73% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on IFF. Benchmark began coverage on International Flavors & Fragrances in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $74.00 to $71.00 in a report on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup boosted their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $85.00 to $95.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.05.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

NYSE:IFF opened at $77.82 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $74.35 and its 200-day moving average is $72.49. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 1-year low of $59.14 and a 1-year high of $84.45. The stock has a market cap of $19.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.17. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 7.78%.The business had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.20 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.56 earnings per share for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

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

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.