Continental Grain Co. Increases Stock Holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Continental Grain Co. raised its position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 14.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,928,630 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 239,500 shares during the quarter. International Flavors & Fragrances accounts for 55.8% of Continental Grain Co.’s holdings, making the stock its biggest holding. Continental Grain Co. owned 0.75% of International Flavors & Fragrances worth $163,066,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances during the third quarter worth approximately $406,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,809 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $924,000 after buying an additional 750 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 470,676 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $49,388,000 after acquiring an additional 9,555 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 46.8% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,041 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 10,600 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $896,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kevin O’byrne acquired 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $80.44 per share, with a total value of $522,860.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 6,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $522,860. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Up 3.2 %

Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock opened at $73.33 on Friday. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a one year low of $65.85 and a one 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. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $78.42 and its 200 day moving average is $86.68. The firm has a market cap of $18.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.01, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.67 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 2.12% and a return on equity of 7.72%. Equities research analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 EPS for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is 170.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IFF has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Oppenheimer decreased their target price 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. Cfra lowered International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Argus upgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $106.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.69.

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.