Jupiter Topco LLC Acquires New Stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF

Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 408,064 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,327,000. Jupiter Topco LLC owned 0.16% of International Flavors & Fragrances at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IFF. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 97.9% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 554 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 55.7% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 587 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 884.1% in the 2nd quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 679 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 610 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EFG International AG bought a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE IFF opened at $87.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.06. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $80.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $76.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.42 billion, a PE ratio of 80.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.93. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 52 week low of $59.14 and a 52 week high of $89.32.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.07 by ($0.25). The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.62 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.11% and a net margin of 2.78%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.15 EPS. Analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, August 4th that allows the company to buyback $2.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to repurchase up to 12.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 18th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 18th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 146.79%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Marc Birenkrant sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.00, for a total value of $85,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $292,910. This trade represents a 22.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider De Mendonca Ana Paula Teles sold 5,718 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.19, for a total value of $475,680.42. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,543 shares of company stock worth $1,315,659. Insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on IFF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Benchmark boosted their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $74.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Argus lifted their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.40.

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.