Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Purchases 6,458 Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,444,537 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,458 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned about 0.57% of International Flavors & Fragrances worth $120,590,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of IFF. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the second quarter worth about $1,835,955,000. Nykredit A S bought a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the second quarter valued at approximately $223,065,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the second quarter valued at approximately $131,760,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $122,792,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $107,310,000. 96.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael Deveau sold 8,825 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $444,774.45. This trade represents a 62.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider De Mendonca Ana Paula Teles sold 5,718 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.19, for a total transaction of $475,680.42. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 15,543 shares of company stock worth $1,315,659. Corporate insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

Shares of IFF opened at $89.46 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $84.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 2.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.82 billion, a PE ratio of 82.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.91. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 52-week low of $61.29 and a 52-week high of $89.70.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by ($0.25). International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 7.11%. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.15 EPS. International Flavors & Fragrances’s revenue was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, August 4th that permits the company to buy back $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty chemicals company to repurchase up to 12.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Friday, September 18th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 18th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 146.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IFF has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group raised their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Vertical Research downgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $93.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price 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. Citigroup dropped their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $101.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $92.69.

International Flavors & Fragrances Company Profile

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc (NYSE:IFF) develops and manufactures ingredients and solutions used in food, beverages, personal care products, fragrances, household products, pharmaceuticals and other consumer goods. The company works with manufacturers to create flavors, fragrances, functional ingredients and sensory experiences for products sold under consumer brands.

IFF’s portfolio includes natural and synthetic flavor compounds, fragrance ingredients, specialty ingredients, food texturants, enzymes, cultures, probiotics and pharmaceutical excipients.