Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE:INGR) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Consensus: Hold — Nine brokerages cover Ingredion with a consensus "Hold" (seven holds, two buys) and an average 12‑month price target of $123.57.
• Earnings and guidance weakness — Q1 adjusted EPS of $2.34 missed the $2.44 estimate, reported operating income declined ~22–26% YoY, and FY‑2026 guidance was narrowed to $10.45–$11.15 (below consensus), triggering a notable share drop.
• Near‑term headwinds — Management plans to close the Cabo, Brazil plant and take impairment charges, and insiders (including the CEO) sold material shares last quarter, reducing insider ownership and adding to investor concern.

Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE:INGR - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the nine ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $123.5714.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Ingredion in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $130.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Ingredion in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Ingredion in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of Ingredion in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ingredion from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st.

Key Stories Impacting Ingredion

Here are the key news stories impacting Ingredion this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management emphasized ongoing growth initiatives and margin actions on the earnings call that could support medium‑term profitability improvements. Earnings Call Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue for Q1 came in roughly in line with estimates, limiting the downside from top‑line performance even as margins compressed. Sales In Line With Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q1 disclosure (transcript and slide deck) provides detail for investors to model cost actions, mix shifts and timing of recovery — useful but informational. Earnings Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 adjusted EPS of $2.34 missed consensus of $2.44 and declined vs. prior year, driven by lower operating income and margin pressure — a primary reason shares fell. Q1 Results Press Release
• Negative Sentiment: Company narrowed FY 2026 guidance to adjusted EPS $10.45–$11.15, below the consensus (~$11.34), signaling a weaker outlook that prompted investor selling. Updated Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Reported and adjusted operating income fell ~22–26% year‑over‑year in Q1, highlighting margin pressure that investors are penalizing. Operating Income Decline
• Negative Sentiment: Ingredion will close its Cabo, Brazil plant and take impairment charges, a near‑term earnings headwind though potentially part of longer‑term cost rationalization. Brazil Plant Closure
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction included a noticeable one‑day drop (covered by trade commentary) and elevated volume, reflecting investor concern about near‑term earnings and guidance. Market Reaction Coverage

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO James P. Zallie sold 33,597 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.66, for a total value of $4,020,217.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 50,167 shares in the company, valued at $6,002,983.22. This represents a 40.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Larry Fernandes sold 3,630 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.40, for a total transaction of $429,792.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 32,055 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,795,312. This trade represents a 10.17% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 48,686 shares of company stock worth $5,784,010 over the last quarter. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in INGR. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of Ingredion by 32.8% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 2,082 shares of the company's stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in Ingredion by 63.9% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,694 shares of the company's stock worth $499,000 after acquiring an additional 1,440 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in Ingredion by 9.0% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 9,687 shares of the company's stock worth $1,310,000 after acquiring an additional 797 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in Ingredion by 5.5% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 101,414 shares of the company's stock worth $13,712,000 after acquiring an additional 5,255 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in Ingredion by 5.6% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,636 shares of the company's stock worth $492,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.27% of the company's stock.

Ingredion Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:INGR opened at $106.30 on Thursday. Ingredion has a 52 week low of $100.71 and a 52 week high of $141.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 1.73 and a current ratio of 2.76. The company has a market capitalization of $6.70 billion, a PE ratio of 10.24, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $112.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $112.98.

Ingredion (NYSE:INGR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.44 by ($0.10). Ingredion had a net margin of 9.36% and a return on equity of 15.86%. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.97 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Ingredion has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.450-11.150 EPS. Analysts forecast that Ingredion will post 11.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Ingredion Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st were issued a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 1st. Ingredion's dividend payout ratio is 29.39%.

Ingredion Company Profile

Ingredion Incorporated is a global ingredient solutions company specializing in the production and sale of starches, sweeteners, nutrition ingredients and biomaterials derived primarily from corn and other plant-based raw materials. The company serves a diverse set of industries, including food and beverage, brewing, pharmaceuticals and personal care, providing functional ingredients that enhance texture, stability, flavor and nutritional value in a wide array of end products.

The company's product portfolio comprises native and modified starches, high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, maltodextrins, specialty sweeteners and various texturizers.

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