ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Acquires 6,350 Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 176,455 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,350 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $14,288,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of IFF. Fairfield Bush & CO. grew its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 11.7% in the first quarter. Fairfield Bush & CO. now owns 4,791 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $629,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 19.8% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,380 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 558 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 10.9% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 5,844 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $767,000 after purchasing an additional 574 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 2.4% in the first quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 3,792 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $498,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 31.5% in the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 3,684 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $483,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of IFF traded up $0.37 on Friday, reaching $83.97. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 785,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,177,297. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a twelve month low of $62.11 and a twelve month high of $97.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.44 billion, a PE ratio of -8.36, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $81.62 and a 200-day moving average of $77.36.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by ($0.03). International Flavors & Fragrances had a positive return on equity of 5.09% and a negative net margin of 22.36%. The business had revenue of $2.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.97 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 3.69 EPS for the current year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, March 22nd were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 21st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.91%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is presently -15.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $83.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Citigroup raised shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $81.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.35.

International Flavors & Fragrances 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 the United States, Europe, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Nourish, Health & Biosciences, Scent, and Pharma Solutions.