International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) Earns “Hold” Rating from Stifel Nicolaus

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reiterated by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus in a research report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $81.00 price objective on the specialty chemicals company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 17.96% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also commented on IFF. StockNews.com initiated coverage on International Flavors & Fragrances in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “sell” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $93.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $120.00 to $78.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $83.00 to $67.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 9th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group decreased their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $79.57.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Performance

NYSE:IFF traded up $1.14 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $68.67. The stock had a trading volume of 168,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,127,547. The stock has a market cap of $17.53 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.49 and a beta of 1.12. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $73.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $81.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.64. International Flavors & Fragrances has a 12-month low of $62.11 and a 12-month high of $118.34.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.24). International Flavors & Fragrances had a positive return on equity of 5.91% and a negative net margin of 18.34%. The business had revenue of $2.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.54 EPS. International Flavors & Fragrances’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that International Flavors & Fragrances will post 3.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Seven Eight Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the first quarter valued at about $953,000. Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,418,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 146,047 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $15,312,000 after buying an additional 5,961 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 42.6% during the first quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,903,532 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $175,049,000 after buying an additional 568,762 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service raised its holdings in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 304,954 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $31,971,000 after acquiring an additional 3,696 shares in the last quarter. 89.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

International Flavors & Fragrances Company Profile

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells cosmetic active and natural health ingredients for use in various consumer products in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Greater Asia, North America, and Latin America. It operates through four segments: Nourish, Scent, Health & Biosciences, and Pharma Solutions.