Analyst Ratings for International Flavors & Fragrances before Q2

Of the 16 analysts tracking International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), 31.0% of them have recommended a “buy” for the stock, 62.0% have recommended a “hold,” and the remaining 7.0% have recommended a “sell.”

The analyst consensus puts IFF’s 12-month target price at $138.85, implying a potential return of 3.2% from the closing price of $134.57 as of August 1, 2017.

IFF posted better-than-expected earnings but failed to meet analysts’ revenue expectations in the latest quarter. With IFF aiming to increase its revenue by $500.0 million by 2020 through acquisitions, it appears that IFF is on track to achieve it after acquiring David Michael and Fragrance Resources. More acquisitions could be in the cards. As a result, a majority of analysts could have been influenced by that to recommend a “hold” for IFF stock.

• Stifel has given IFF a target price of $136, which implies a potential return of 1.1% from its August 1, 2017, closing price of $134.57.
• Berenberg has recommended a target price of $155 for IFF, implying a potential return of 15.2% over the closing price of $134.57 as of August 1, 2017.
• UBS (UBS) has rated IFF a “neutral” with a target price of $138, implying a potential return of 2.5% over the closing price on August 1, 2017.

You can hold IFF indirectly by investing in the iShares US Basic Materials (IYM), which has invested 1.7% of its holdings in IFF. The other top holdings of the fund include Dow Chemical (DOW), DuPont (DD), and Monsanto (MON) with weights of 11.9%, 11.7%, and 8.4%, respectively, as of August 1, 2017.