International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF Stake Boosted by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 115.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 242,261 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 129,722 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.09% of International Flavors & Fragrances worth $14,909,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 138.8% in the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 6,363 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $413,000 after buying an additional 3,698 shares during the last quarter. Allstate Corp bought a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 3rd quarter valued at about $591,000. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the 3rd quarter valued at about $215,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 32.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 54,951 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,353,000 after purchasing an additional 13,548 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 4.8% in the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 12,520 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $770,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares during the period. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on IFF. Argus increased their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group increased their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $91.00 to $89.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.46.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock opened at $73.25 on Friday. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 52 week low of $59.14 and a 52 week high of $88.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market cap of $18.76 billion, a PE ratio of -45.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.04. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $67.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.85.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.04 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 19th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 19th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is currently -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.