International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) Short Interest Update

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 4,310,000 shares, an increase of 7.8% from the November 15th total of 4,000,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,370,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days. Currently, 1.9% of the shares of the company are short sold.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:IFF traded down $0.38 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $86.77. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,121,743 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,656,295. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.19 billion, a PE ratio of -9.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.17. International Flavors & Fragrances has a twelve month low of $72.94 and a twelve month high of $106.77. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $94.93 and a 200 day moving average of $97.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 2.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

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

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -17.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on IFF shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $111.00 to $110.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. 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. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $108.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $93.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $116.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $111.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Yuvraj Arora sold 5,000 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.75, for a total transaction of $458,750.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $297,086.50. The trade was a 60.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of International Flavors & Fragrances

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of IFF. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the second quarter worth about $38,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter worth about $42,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the third quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the third quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

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.