Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Has $124.67 Million Position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA cut its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,474,497 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 28,765 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $124,669,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 638 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. 96.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on IFF. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $114.00 to $104.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $107.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Cfra lowered International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $77.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Argus raised shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.31.

Insider Activity at International Flavors & Fragrances

In related news, Director Kevin O’byrne acquired 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $80.44 per share, for a total transaction of $522,860.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,500 shares in the company, valued at $522,860. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Down 2.3 %

IFF stock opened at $76.41 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $89.97. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.38 and a twelve month high of $106.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.54 billion, a PE ratio of 81.28, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.14. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 2.12% and a return on equity of 7.72%. The business had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.67 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is 170.21%.

International Flavors & Fragrances Profile

International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc engages in the manufacture and supply of flavors and fragrances used in the food, beverage, personal care, and household products industries. It operates through the following segments: Nourish, Health & Biosciences, Scent and Pharma Solutions. The Nourish segment consists of legacy Taste segment combined with N&B’s Food & Beverage division and the food protection business of N&B’s Health & Biosciences division.