International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF Shares Bought by Staley Capital Advisers Inc.

Staley Capital Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 8.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,055,308 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 78,855 shares during the quarter. International Flavors & Fragrances makes up 3.2% of Staley Capital Advisers Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Staley Capital Advisers Inc. owned about 0.41% of International Flavors & Fragrances worth $76,563,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in IFF. Swedbank AB lifted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 249,469 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $18,099,000 after purchasing an additional 949 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 6.3% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,875 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $281,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 10.1% during the first quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,101 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $443,000 after buying an additional 559 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC lifted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 33.2% in the first quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 9,888 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $717,000 after buying an additional 2,464 shares during the period. Finally, Optas LLC boosted its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 125.8% during the first quarter. Optas LLC now owns 7,604 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $552,000 after acquiring an additional 4,237 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

NYSE IFF opened at $78.84 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.86. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 12-month low of $59.14 and a 12-month high of $84.45. The company has a market cap of $20.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.11, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.93.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.17. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 7.78% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The firm had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.20 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 18th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is currently 48.93%.

Insider Activity at International Flavors & Fragrances

In related news, Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 260,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were bought at an average price of $74.28 per share, for a total transaction of $19,312,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 2,682,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,273,184.40. This trade represents a 10.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings raised International Flavors & Fragrances from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Benchmark began coverage on International Flavors & Fragrances in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $75.00 to $86.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective 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. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.16.

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.