50,000 Shares in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF Purchased by Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co bought a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 50,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,370,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IFF. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 26,315 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,042,000 after buying an additional 1,335 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 15.7% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,976 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 71.5% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,454 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $811,000 after purchasing an additional 4,358 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 25.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,527 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $584,000 after purchasing an additional 1,530 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 55.7% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 587 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of IFF stock opened at $76.01 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.25, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.93. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a twelve month low of $59.14 and a twelve month high of $84.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.49. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.70.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.64 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 7.78% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.20 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.55 EPS for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 18th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 18th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is currently 48.93%.

Key International Flavors & Fragrances News

Here are the key news stories impacting International Flavors & Fragrances this week:

• Positive Sentiment: IFF said the Food Ingredients sale to CVC is valued at roughly $4.3 billion, or about 10x EBITDA, which could help strengthen the balance sheet and support a more focused business mix. IFF Enters Into Agreement to Sell Its Food Ingredients Business to CVC
• Positive Sentiment: The company also backed its annual sales outlook, which may reassure investors that the divestiture is part of a broader profitability strategy rather than a sign of weakening demand. IFF To Sell Food Ingredients Business For $4.3 Bln, Backs Annual Sales Outlook; Pre-Market Stock Up
• Neutral Sentiment: LMR by IFF opened a new experimental field in Grasse, France, highlighting ongoing investment in natural ingredients and perfumery research, but this is unlikely to have an immediate stock-moving impact. LMR by IFF Inaugurates New Experimental Field in Grasse
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors may worry that selling the Food Ingredients unit reduces IFF’s scale and removes a key revenue contributor, even if the move improves profitability over time. International Flavors and Fragrances nears $4 billion deal to sell food ingredients business, WSJ reports

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on IFF shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $74.00 to $71.00 in a report on Friday, May 8th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $83.00 to $84.80 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $90.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other International Flavors & Fragrances news, Director Paul J. Fribourg purchased 142,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $70.13 per share, with a total value of $9,958,460.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,422,730 shares in the company, valued at approximately $169,906,054.90. This represents a 6.23% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.