Principal Financial Group Inc. Grows Position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 470,676 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 9,555 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $49,388,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in IFF. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 3rd quarter worth about $42,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 1,856.0% during the 2nd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 489 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 464 shares during the period. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other International Flavors & Fragrances news, insider Yuvraj Arora sold 5,000 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.75, for a total transaction of $458,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $297,086.50. This trade represents a 60.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE IFF opened at $85.74 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 2.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 52 week low of $72.94 and a 52 week high of $106.77. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $93.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $97.27. The firm has a market cap of $21.92 billion, a PE ratio of -9.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.17.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.46). The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a negative net margin of 20.33% and a positive return on equity of 7.16%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.16 earnings per share for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -17.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on IFF shares. Morgan Stanley raised shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $111.00 to $110.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Vertical Research upgraded shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $109.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. UBS Group increased their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $108.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $107.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, International Flavors & Fragrances currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $110.21.

International Flavors & Fragrances Profile

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells cosmetic active and natural health ingredients for use in various consumer products in the United States, Europe, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Nourish, Health & Biosciences, Scent, and Pharma Solutions.