International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $91.0471.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup raised their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $97.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $74.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $75.00 to $86.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

Shares of IFF stock opened at $76.90 on Monday. 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 has a one year low of $59.14 and a one year high of $84.45. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $74.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.52, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.94.

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

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 18th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 18th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.93%.

Insider Transactions at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other International Flavors & Fragrances news, Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 260,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $74.28 per share, with a total value 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Flavors & Fragrances

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dodge & Cox lifted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 5.5% in the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 36,972,638 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,275,296,000 after acquiring an additional 1,925,251 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,092,368 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $751,875,000 after buying an additional 121,260 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 27.5% in the fourth 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 buying an additional 1,904,598 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,519,812 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $506,760,000 after buying an additional 352,636 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,771,894 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $454,607,000 after buying an additional 172,781 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

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.