Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Sells 629 Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC reduced its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,459 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 629 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $2,998,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. PGGM Investments acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the 4th quarter valued at $150,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 69.2% during the fourth quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 176,164 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $14,895,000 after buying an additional 72,032 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 278.6% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,783 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $151,000 after buying an additional 1,312 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,723 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 37.2% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 15,658 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,324,000 after acquiring an additional 4,243 shares during the period. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IFF has been the subject of a number of research reports. Argus upgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 research note on Thursday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $113.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.77.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

International Flavors & Fragrances stock opened at $76.90 on Wednesday. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.60 and a 52 week high of $106.77. The firm has a market cap of $19.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 81.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. 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 business’s fifty day moving average is $82.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $90.34.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 2.12% and a return on equity of 7.72%. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.67 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 170.21%.

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.