Zacks Research Issues Positive Forecast for IFF Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its IFF earnings forecasts to $0.99 EPS for Q1 2027 and $3.99 for full-year 2027, while maintaining a “Hold” rating.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating from 19 analysts and an average price target of $93.22; Barclays also lifted its target to $105.
• IFF approved a $2.5 billion share-repurchase program covering up to 12.1% of outstanding shares and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, though its latest quarterly earnings and revenue missed consensus estimates.

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2027 EPS estimates for shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in a report issued on Friday, October 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the specialty chemicals company will post earnings of $0.99 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.98. Zacks Research has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for International Flavors & Fragrances' current full-year earnings is $3.09 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for International Flavors & Fragrances' Q2 2027 earnings at $0.90 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $3.99 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $1.19 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $1.21 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $1.20 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $4.71 EPS.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Barclays boosted their price objective on International Flavors & Fragrances from $96.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on International Flavors & Fragrances from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Citigroup lowered their price target on International Flavors & Fragrances from $101.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded International Flavors & Fragrances from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, KeyCorp began coverage on International Flavors & Fragrances in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. They issued a "sector weight" rating for the company. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $93.22.

International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Down 0.0%

IFF opened at $90.65 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $23.13 billion, a PE ratio of 83.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.91. International Flavors & Fragrances has a twelve month low of $61.29 and a twelve month high of $91.88. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $85.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 2.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.07 by ($0.25). The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.62 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 7.11%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.15 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Flavors & Fragrances

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 97.9% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 554 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances by 27.9% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 706 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Westpac Banking Corp acquired a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the second quarter valued at approximately $91,000. Mather Group LLC. grew its position in International Flavors & Fragrances by 24.0% in the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,393 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $116,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt purchased a new position in International Flavors & Fragrances in the second quarter worth approximately $148,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.02% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other news, insider De Mendonca Ana Paula Teles sold 5,718 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.19, for a total transaction of $475,680.42. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Marc Birenkrant sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.00, for a total value of $85,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 3,446 shares of the company's stock, valued at $292,910. This trade represents a 22.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 15,543 shares of company stock worth $1,315,659. Insiders own 1.07% of the company's stock.

International Flavors & Fragrances announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, August 4th that allows the company to buy back $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to repurchase up to 12.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

International Flavors & Fragrances Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Friday, September 18th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 18th. International Flavors & Fragrances's dividend payout ratio is currently 146.79%.

Trending Headlines about International Flavors & Fragrances

Here are the key news stories impacting International Flavors & Fragrances this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target for IFF, indicating improved expectations for the specialty-chemicals and ingredients company’s valuation. The report did not disclose the revised target in the available details. International Flavors & Fragrances Stock Gets Price Target Bump from Barclays
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research made a series of small upward revisions to its earnings outlook. Its estimates increased to $0.99 EPS for Q1 2027, $0.90 for Q2 2027 and $3.99 for full-year 2027. Estimates for 2028 also edged higher, including $1.19 for Q1, $1.21 for Q2, $1.20 for Q3 and $4.71 for the full year. These revisions suggest slightly better anticipated profitability.
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the higher earnings forecasts, Zacks Research maintained a “Hold” rating. The current-year consensus estimate remains $3.09 per share, signaling that analysts see incremental improvement rather than a major near-term earnings reset.
• Neutral Sentiment: A broader analyst review covering IFF and other materials companies was published, but the available information does not identify a material new recommendation or operating development for IFF. Analysts Offer Insights on Materials Companies

International Flavors & Fragrances Company Profile

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc NYSE: IFF develops and manufactures ingredients, flavor systems, fragrances and specialty solutions used in consumer and industrial products. Its offerings support food and beverage manufacturers, fragrance and personal care companies, household-product makers, pharmaceutical businesses and other customers.

The company's portfolio includes flavors for beverages, dairy products, sweet goods, savory foods and other applications; fragrances for fine fragrance, personal care and home care products; and functional ingredients, enzymes, cultures, natural extracts and other specialty materials.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.