International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF Stock Position Decreased by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems lowered its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 58.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,730 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 9,354 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $488,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of IFF. State Street Corp raised 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 purchasing an additional 121,260 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 27.5% during 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 purchasing an additional 1,904,598 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,519,812 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $506,760,000 after purchasing an additional 352,636 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 2.6% during 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 buying an additional 172,781 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 28.4% in the fourth 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 worth $407,221,000 after buying an additional 1,336,479 shares during the period. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

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

International Flavors & Fragrances Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of IFF stock opened at $79.29 on Friday. 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 Inc. has a 1 year low of $59.14 and a 1 year high of $84.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $77.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $74.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.24 billion, a PE ratio of 24.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.93.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.64 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 7.78%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.20 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.55 EPS for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 18th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 18th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on IFF. Weiss Ratings upgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Berenberg Bank lifted their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $83.00 to $84.80 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $74.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.16.

International Flavors & Fragrances 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.