International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF Shares Acquired by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 38.6% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 784,570 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 218,420 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $56,921,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IFF. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 55.7% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 587 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 884.1% during the 2nd quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 679 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 610 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 42.8% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 798 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 69.6% during the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 894 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

International Flavors & Fragrances stock opened at $76.90 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.63 billion, a PE ratio of 23.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.94. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a one year low of $59.14 and a one year high of $84.45. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $74.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.49.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $2.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.64 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 7.78% and a return on equity of 7.65%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.20 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 18th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 18th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is 48.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Berenberg Bank upped their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $83.00 to $84.80 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $85.00 to $95.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Paul J. Fribourg purchased 260,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $74.28 per share, with a total value of $19,312,800.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 2,682,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,273,184.40. This represents a 10.73% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances 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.