Easterly Investment Partners LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Easterly Investment Partners LLC lowered its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 35.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,500 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 6,930 shares during the period. Easterly Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $1,057,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of IFF. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. increased its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 36.6% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 638 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE IFF opened at $78.25 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $20.01 billion, a PE ratio of 83.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.63 and a 1 year high of $106.77. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $82.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $90.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.93.

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

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 170.21%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Kevin O’byrne purchased 6,500 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $80.44 per share, for a total transaction of $522,860.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 6,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $522,860. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Cfra cut shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $77.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup lowered their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Oppenheimer cut 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. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.31.

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.