Wall Street Zen Downgrades International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) to Sell

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Argus lowered their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $85.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Citigroup dropped their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $82.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Barclays upped their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $96.00 to $92.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 11th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $85.02.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

IFF stock opened at $67.49 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $17.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -41.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.03. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $65.54 and its 200 day moving average is $67.54. International Flavors & Fragrances has a 52 week low of $59.14 and a 52 week high of $88.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.44.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.65 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a positive return on equity of 8.03% and a negative net margin of 3.72%.International Flavors & Fragrances’s quarterly revenue was down 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.04 EPS. Research analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances will post 4.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Flavors & Fragrances

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 7.6% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,184 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $161,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC grew its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 21,837 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,344,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 6.1% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 3,021 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $186,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 17.3% in the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,290 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank raised its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 43.9% during the 2nd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 633 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Company 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.