International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF Shares Purchased by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 334,338 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,924 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $20,575,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of IFF. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances during the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. American National Bank & Trust lifted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 11,975.0% during the second quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 483 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 479 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership raised its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 200.0% during the second quarter. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership now owns 600 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank lifted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 43.9% during the 2nd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 633 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on IFF shares. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $96.00 to $92.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Bank of America cut their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in a research report on Monday. Citigroup cut their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $82.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised International Flavors & Fragrances from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Monday, September 8th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $85.02.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

Shares of IFF stock opened at $65.71 on Thursday. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 52-week low of $59.14 and a 52-week high of $88.09. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $65.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.83 billion, a PE ratio of -40.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.03.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.03. International Flavors & Fragrances had a positive return on equity of 8.03% and a negative net margin of 3.72%.The company had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.65 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.04 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 EPS for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 19th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 19th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -98.77%.

International Flavors & Fragrances Company Profile

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.