ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Boosts Stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 334,338 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,924 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. owned 0.13% of International Flavors & Fragrances worth $20,575,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of IFF. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 6.5% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 89,531 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $6,949,000 after purchasing an additional 5,477 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 1st quarter valued at $329,000. Comerica Bank increased its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 9.8% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 61,859 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $4,801,000 after acquiring an additional 5,518 shares during the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 526.4% during the 1st quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 21,949 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,703,000 after acquiring an additional 18,445 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 33.9% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 707,059 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $54,875,000 after purchasing an additional 178,948 shares during the period. 96.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on IFF. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $92.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $96.00 to $92.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Bank of America lowered their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $85.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in a research note on Monday. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $85.02.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

NYSE IFF opened at $65.71 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $16.83 billion, a P/E ratio of -40.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.03. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 1-year low of $59.14 and a 1-year high of $88.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $65.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.78.

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

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 19th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 19th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -98.77%.

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.