Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $1 Million Position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 11,862 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 240 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $1,003,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 75.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 18,820 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,975,000 after acquiring an additional 8,089 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 14.3% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 11,194 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,175,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter worth about $631,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the 3rd quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $994,000. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on IFF shares. Cfra downgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $77.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Oppenheimer cut 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. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $113.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Argus upgraded shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.31.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of IFF opened at $77.40 on Wednesday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $82.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $89.42. The stock has a market cap of $19.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 82.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.21. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.73 and a 12 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 the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.14. International Flavors & Fragrances had a return on equity of 7.72% and a net margin of 2.12%. The business had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.67 billion. Equities analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. International Flavors & Fragrances’s payout ratio is 170.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kevin O’byrne acquired 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $80.44 per share, with a total value of $522,860.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 6,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $522,860. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.