International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Monday.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on IFF. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Argus lowered shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, March 8th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $83.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, International Flavors & Fragrances has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $84.29.

International Flavors & Fragrances Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:IFF opened at $85.97 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.56, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.22. International Flavors & Fragrances has a 1-year low of $62.11 and a 1-year high of $97.49. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $80.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.75 by ($0.03). International Flavors & Fragrances had a negative net margin of 22.36% and a positive return on equity of 5.09%. The firm had revenue of $2.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.97 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that International Flavors & Fragrances will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, March 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is currently -15.94%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Flavors & Fragrances

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of IFF. Winder Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances during the third quarter worth approximately $1,728,544,000. Dodge & Cox bought a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth about $1,250,236,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 8.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 14,567,213 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,171,031,000 after buying an additional 1,192,222 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 59.2% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,772,700 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $814,890,000 after buying an additional 2,890,737 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 16.3% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 5,672,776 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $388,358,000 after acquiring an additional 795,797 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.