Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Invests $1.21 Million in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 14,344 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,213,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of IFF. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter worth about $42,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings 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 worth $54,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. 96.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on IFF shares. Argus upgraded shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $114.00 to $104.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $88.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $107.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.77.

Insider Transactions at International Flavors & Fragrances

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

International Flavors & Fragrances Price Performance

Shares of IFF opened at $79.71 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $20.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 84.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $83.30 and a 200 day moving average of $91.05. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a twelve month low of $78.91 and a twelve month high of $106.77.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last posted its 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. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 2.12% and a return on equity of 7.72%. The business had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.67 billion. As a group, equities research 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is presently 170.21%.

About International Flavors & Fragrances

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.