Securian Asset Management Inc. Decreases Stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Securian Asset Management Inc. cut its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,741 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 359 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $1,162,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 36.6% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 638 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other news, Director Kevin O’byrne purchased 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $80.44 per share, with a total value of $522,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $522,860. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

International Flavors & Fragrances stock opened at $79.76 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 84.85, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $83.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.66. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 52 week low of $78.91 and a 52 week high of $106.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.67 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.72% and a net margin of 2.12%. Equities research analysts anticipate that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 earnings per share for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.01%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is currently 170.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IFF has been the subject of several research reports. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $114.00 to $104.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Argus raised International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $107.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $113.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.50.

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.