International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) Upgraded to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday morning.

IFF has been the topic of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in a research note on Monday, December 29th. BNP Paribas reduced their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $92.00 to $91.00 in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $84.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $92.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $96.00 to $92.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 11th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.02.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock opened at $67.97 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $65.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.24. The stock has a market cap of $17.41 billion, a PE ratio of -41.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. International Flavors & Fragrances has a 12 month low of $59.14 and a 12 month high of $88.09.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.65 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a positive return on equity of 8.03% and a negative net margin of 3.72%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.04 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances will post 4.32 EPS for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 19th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 19th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is -98.77%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Flavors & Fragrances

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of IFF. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 896.4% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 548 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 493 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust boosted its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 11,975.0% in the second quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 483 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 479 shares in the last quarter. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership grew its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 200.0% during the 2nd quarter. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership now owns 600 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 55.7% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 587 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.