Boothbay Fund Management LLC Lowers Stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Boothbay Fund Management LLC lessened its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 63.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,525 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 4,425 shares during the period. Boothbay Fund Management LLC’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $213,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. raised its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 45,776 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,870,000 after acquiring an additional 2,374 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lifted its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 288,900 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $24,426,000 after buying an additional 47,900 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments L.P. lifted its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 233.8% during the 4th quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. now owns 198,604 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $16,792,000 after acquiring an additional 139,114 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 527,093 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $44,529,000 after buying an additional 81,927 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG boosted its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 258.1% in the 4th quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 35,888 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,034,000 after acquiring an additional 25,865 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $107.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $82.00 to $76.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Argus upgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Cfra cut International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $77.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $99.00 to $84.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.54.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock opened at $79.06 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $20.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 84.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a 50-day moving average of $76.88 and a 200 day moving average of $84.53. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.85 and a 12 month high of $106.77.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.67 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.72% and a net margin of 2.12%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 earnings per share for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is presently 170.21%.

Insider Transactions at International Flavors & Fragrances

In related news, Director Kevin O’byrne purchased 6,500 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $522,860. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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.