AGF Management Ltd. Boosts Stock Holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

AGF Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 12.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 23,921 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 2,654 shares during the quarter. AGF Management Ltd.’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $2,023,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter valued at $42,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 36.6% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 638 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kevin O’byrne bought 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $80.44 per share, with a total value of $522,860.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $522,860. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

Shares of IFF opened at $79.76 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $20.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 84.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $78.91 and a fifty-two week high of $106.77. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $91.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.93 and a current ratio of 1.84.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.67 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 2.12% and a return on equity of 7.72%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 earnings per share for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.01%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is currently 170.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Argus raised International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $107.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $114.00 to $104.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.50.

International Flavors & Fragrances Company Profile

International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc engages in the manufacture and supply of flavors and fragrances used in the food, beverage, personal care, and household products industries. It operates through the following segments: Nourish, Health & Biosciences, Scent and Pharma Solutions. The Nourish segment consists of legacy Taste segment combined with N&B’s Food & Beverage division and the food protection business of N&B’s Health & Biosciences division.