UMB Bank n.a. Increases Stock Holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 8.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,458 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the quarter. UMB Bank n.a.’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $123,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances during the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the third quarter worth $44,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter valued at $48,000. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

IFF opened at $86.42 on Friday. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 52-week low of $72.94 and a 52-week high of $106.77. The company has a 50 day moving average of $86.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.26. The company has a market cap of $22.09 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 2.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.46). International Flavors & Fragrances had a negative net margin of 20.33% and a positive return on equity of 7.16%. The company had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is presently -17.60%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Yuvraj Arora sold 5,000 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.75, for a total transaction of $458,750.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $297,086.50. The trade was a 60.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on IFF shares. Bank of America raised shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $107.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $111.00 to $110.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. UBS Group boosted their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $108.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Citigroup decreased their price objective 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. Finally, Vertical Research upgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $109.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $109.23.

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.