International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $111.00.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays increased their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $93.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Vertical Research upgraded shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $109.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $107.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

Shares of IFF opened at $91.36 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $23.36 billion, a PE ratio of -10.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.22. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $98.08 and a 200-day moving average of $98.15. International Flavors & Fragrances has a one year low of $72.94 and a one year high of $106.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 2.62 and a quick ratio of 1.93.

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

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is currently -17.60%.

Insider Activity at International Flavors & Fragrances

In related news, insider Yuvraj Arora sold 5,000 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.75, for a total value of $458,750.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which is available through this link. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Flavors & Fragrances

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the second quarter worth about $38,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter worth about $42,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About International Flavors & Fragrances

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.