International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) Upgraded to “Buy” at Argus

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) was upgraded by analysts at Argus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on IFF. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $111.00 to $110.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. 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 report on Wednesday, December 18th. Vertical Research raised International Flavors & Fragrances from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $109.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Bank of America raised International Flavors & Fragrances from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $107.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, International Flavors & Fragrances currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $110.21.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Down 0.6 %

IFF stock opened at $82.05 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $88.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $96.12. The company has a market capitalization of $20.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.18. International Flavors & Fragrances has a 52 week low of $72.94 and a 52 week high of $106.77. The company has a current ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.46). The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.83 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a positive return on equity of 7.16% and a negative net margin of 20.33%. International Flavors & Fragrances’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that International Flavors & Fragrances will post 4.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other news, insider Yuvraj Arora sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.75, for a total value of $458,750.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $297,086.50. This represents a 60.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of IFF. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances during the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in International Flavors & Fragrances in the third quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances during the third quarter worth $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

About International Flavors & Fragrances

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.