Quantbot Technologies LP Lowers Stock Holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Quantbot Technologies LP trimmed its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 51.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 36,495 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 39,218 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $3,086,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 638 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Flavors & Fragrances Trading Down 2.3 %

IFF opened at $77.93 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $19.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 82.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 52 week low of $77.28 and a 52 week high of $106.77. The business’s 50 day moving average is $83.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $90.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

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

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.05%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 170.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Flavors & Fragrances

In related news, Director Kevin O’byrne bought 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $80.44 per share, for a total transaction of $522,860.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 6,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $522,860. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on IFF shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup reduced their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $113.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America cut their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Cfra lowered International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $77.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, International Flavors & Fragrances has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.77.

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.