International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) Lowered to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $97.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $74.00 to $71.00 in a report on Friday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $92.16.

International Flavors & Fragrances Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE IFF opened at $85.80 on Friday. International Flavors & Fragrances has a one year low of $59.14 and a one year high of $89.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 2.06 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market cap of $21.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.93. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $77.77 and its 200-day moving average is $75.47.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.07 by ($0.25). The company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.62 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 7.11%. The company’s revenue was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.15 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances will post 3.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, August 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty chemicals company to reacquire up to 12.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 18th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 18th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is presently 146.79%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 260,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $74.28 per share, for a total transaction of $19,312,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 2,682,730 shares in the company, valued at approximately $199,273,184.40. This represents a 10.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael Deveau sold 8,825 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.55, for a total transaction of $754,978.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $444,774.45. This represents a 62.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Flavors & Fragrances

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 97.9% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 554 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 884.1% during the second quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 679 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 610 shares during the period. Finally, EFG International AG acquired a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at $73,000. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting International Flavors & Fragrances

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target from $90 to $96 and upgraded its stance to “overweight,” implying approximately 12% upside from the reference price. The move signals improving confidence in IFF’s earnings outlook and restructuring efforts. Benzinga analyst update
• Positive Sentiment: Benchmark increased its target from $100 to $105 and maintained a “buy” rating, representing roughly 22% potential upside. This is the most bullish valuation among the recent analyst actions. Benzinga analyst update
• Positive Sentiment: IFF plans to repurchase up to $2.5 billion of its shares, which could support per-share earnings and signal that management views the stock as attractively valued. IFF share buyback report
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS raised its price target from $84 to $91 but retained a “neutral” rating. The higher valuation provides modest upside, while the unchanged rating suggests the firm sees balanced potential and risks. Benzinga analyst update
• Negative Sentiment: Vertical Research downgraded IFF from “buy” to “hold,” despite assigning a $93 price target. The downgrade may limit enthusiasm because it reflects less conviction in near-term upside. Finviz analyst update
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter results were mixed to weak: adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.82 versus the $1.07 consensus, while revenue of $1.95 billion missed estimates of $2.62 billion. IFF also lowered its full-year sales outlook, overshadowing modest year-over-year revenue growth. International Flavors Q2 earnings snapshot

About International Flavors & Fragrances

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.