Garland Capital Management Inc. Decreases Stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Garland Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 38,535 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 470 shares during the period. International Flavors & Fragrances comprises about 2.7% of Garland Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Garland Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $3,258,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 638 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. 96.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at International Flavors & Fragrances

In related news, Director Kevin O’byrne purchased 6,500 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $80.44 per share, for a total transaction of $522,860.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 6,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $522,860. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of IFF stock opened at $77.93 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $83.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $90.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.93 and a current ratio of 1.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 82.90, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $77.28 and a fifty-two week high of $106.77.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.67 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.72% and a net margin of 2.12%. Research analysts expect that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.05%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is currently 170.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on IFF. Barclays cut their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $88.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $113.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $114.00 to $104.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.77.

International Flavors & Fragrances Profile

International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc engages in the manufacture and supply of flavors and fragrances used in the food, beverage, personal care, and household products industries. It operates through the following segments: Nourish, Health & Biosciences, Scent and Pharma Solutions. The Nourish segment consists of legacy Taste segment combined with N&B’s Food & Beverage division and the food protection business of N&B’s Health & Biosciences division.