Bank of Montreal Can Purchases 178,664 Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 84.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 389,819 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 178,664 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $32,959,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in IFF. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances during the fourth quarter worth about $78,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on IFF. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Cfra downgraded shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $77.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup reduced their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $99.00 to $84.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Argus raised International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $98.69.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE IFF opened at $71.26 on Friday. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 1 year low of $65.85 and a 1 year high of $106.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.93. The firm has a market cap of $18.22 billion, a PE ratio of 75.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $79.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $87.66.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.67 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 2.12% and a return on equity of 7.72%. On average, research analysts forecast that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 EPS for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is presently 170.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other International Flavors & Fragrances news, Director Kevin O’byrne acquired 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $80.44 per share, with a total value of $522,860.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $522,860. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Company 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.