International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) Upgraded to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning.

IFF has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $83.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $64.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Friday, January 12th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $87.00 to $80.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $84.29.

International Flavors & Fragrances Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:IFF opened at $85.97 on Monday. International Flavors & Fragrances has a 12 month low of $62.11 and a 12 month high of $97.49. The company’s 50 day moving average is $80.42 and its 200-day moving average is $75.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The firm has a market cap of $21.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.22.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $2.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.70 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a negative net margin of 22.36% and a positive return on equity of 5.09%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.97 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 22nd will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is presently -15.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SVB Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $273,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 48.8% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 244 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 3,792 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $498,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 24,638 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,583,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, BSW Wealth Partners increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 4,226 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. 96.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.