Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires Shares of 13,558 International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 13,558 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $834,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in IFF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 28.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,098,575 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $67,612,000 after buying an additional 245,719 shares during the period. Creative Planning raised its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 347.5% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 85,345 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $6,277,000 after buying an additional 66,273 shares during the period. Ruffer LLP bought a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $13,552,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $11,939,000. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,884,974 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $804,753,000 after acquiring an additional 381,593 shares during the period. 96.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock opened at $70.06 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $74.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.16. The firm has a market cap of $17.90 billion, a P/E ratio of -51.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.99. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 12 month low of $59.14 and a 12 month high of $84.45.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.85 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a positive return on equity of 7.67% and a negative net margin of 3.20%.The firm’s revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.97 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -116.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on IFF shares. Barclays increased their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $78.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $71.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reduced their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $78.30 to $77.50 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $90.09.

About International Flavors & Fragrances

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.