International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) Rating Lowered to Sell at Wall Street Zen

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on IFF. BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $85.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $97.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Vertical Research lowered International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $93.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $92.16.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Down 0.1%

IFF stock opened at $85.80 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $77.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.50. International Flavors & Fragrances has a 12 month low of $59.14 and a 12 month high of $89.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.93.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.07 by ($0.25). The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.62 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 7.11%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.15 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances will post 3.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, August 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty chemicals company to buy up to 12.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at International Flavors & Fragrances

In related news, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 260,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $74.28 per share, with a total value of $19,312,800.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 2,682,730 shares in the company, valued at $199,273,184.40. The trade was a 10.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael Deveau sold 8,825 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.55, for a total value of $754,978.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,199 shares in the company, valued at $444,774.45. The trade was a 62.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Flavors & Fragrances

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 97.9% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 554 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 55.7% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 587 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 884.1% during the second quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 679 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 610 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EFG International AG acquired a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances during the 4th quarter worth about $73,000. 96.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More International Flavors & Fragrances News

Here are the key news stories impacting International Flavors & Fragrances this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target from $90 to $96 and upgraded its stance to “overweight,” implying approximately 12% upside from the reference price. The move signals improving confidence in IFF’s earnings outlook and restructuring efforts. Benzinga analyst update
• Positive Sentiment: Benchmark increased its target from $100 to $105 and maintained a “buy” rating, representing roughly 22% potential upside. This is the most bullish valuation among the recent analyst actions. Benzinga analyst update
• Positive Sentiment: IFF plans to repurchase up to $2.5 billion of its shares, which could support per-share earnings and signal that management views the stock as attractively valued. IFF share buyback report
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS raised its price target from $84 to $91 but retained a “neutral” rating. The higher valuation provides modest upside, while the unchanged rating suggests the firm sees balanced potential and risks. Benzinga analyst update
• Negative Sentiment: Vertical Research downgraded IFF from “buy” to “hold,” despite assigning a $93 price target. The downgrade may limit enthusiasm because it reflects less conviction in near-term upside. Finviz analyst update
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter results were mixed to weak: adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.82 versus the $1.07 consensus, while revenue of $1.95 billion missed estimates of $2.62 billion. IFF also lowered its full-year sales outlook, overshadowing modest year-over-year revenue growth. International Flavors Q2 earnings snapshot

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.