Sei Investments Co. Boosts Stock Position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Sei Investments Co. grew its position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 174,671 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,879 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co. owned about 0.07% of International Flavors & Fragrances worth $14,768,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IFF. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the third quarter worth about $42,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 36.6% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 638 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Down 2.3 %

International Flavors & Fragrances stock opened at $76.41 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $82.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $89.97. The stock has a market cap of $19.54 billion, a PE ratio of 81.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.38 and a 1-year high of $106.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.93.

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

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.09%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is currently 170.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other news, Director Kevin O’byrne bought 6,500 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $80.44 per share, with a total value of $522,860.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 6,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $522,860. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on IFF shares. Bank of America decreased their price target on 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. Barclays lowered their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $83.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Cfra lowered shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $77.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $107.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.31.

About International Flavors & Fragrances

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.