Baird Financial Group Inc. Buys 1,230 Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,106 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,230 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $4,659,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in IFF. Dodge & Cox increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 31,437,763 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,658,063,000 after acquiring an additional 3,355,381 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,218,759 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,554,996,000 after purchasing an additional 164,945 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,166,778 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $520,032,000 after purchasing an additional 157,948 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 41.6% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,664,250 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $478,912,000 after buying an additional 1,663,629 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the 4th quarter worth about $452,363,000. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:IFF opened at $73.46 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The business’s 50 day moving average is $76.39 and its 200 day moving average is $83.69. The stock has a market cap of $18.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.08. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 52-week low of $65.85 and a 52-week high of $106.77.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.08. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.72% and a net margin of 2.12%. The firm had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 EPS for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is presently -48.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Citigroup boosted their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Barclays upgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $76.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $82.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $106.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $92.69.

Insider Activity at International Flavors & Fragrances

In related news, Director Kevin O’byrne bought 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $80.44 per share, for a total transaction of $522,860.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $522,860. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO J Erik Fyrwald purchased 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $74.00 per share, with a total value of $51,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 37,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,794,980. The trade was a 1.89 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About International Flavors & Fragrances

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.