
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF)
International Flavors & Fragrances creates the scents and tastes found in everything from your morning coffee to your favourite perfume and cleaning products.
Is International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: Essential business model with products in everyday items. Worth weighing: Recent decline in year-over-year revenue. Below, we lay out what it does, what its numbers mean, and the honest risks, so you can decide for yourself.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
How much has International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. fell as much as −44% from a high to a later low. Drops of this size are a normal part of owning a share - worth knowing in advance, so a dip doesn't come as a shock.
Worst peak-to-trough fall in the daily closing price over the period we hold. Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
Market leadership leads to strong cash flow generation
Loss of market share to cheaper competitors
What does International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. do?
IFF is a behind-the-scenes giant that supplies the essential ingredients for food, drinks, beauty products, and household goods. Big consumer brands that need their products to smell or taste a certain way pay for these proprietary formulas. Much depends on how they manage their debt and rebuild profit margins after a stretch of slowing sales.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on value and momentum, and weakest on growth.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 2.0% a year
- !Revenue slipped about 4% over the year
- Essential business model with products in everyday items
- Strong market position in the global fragrance and taste industry
- Consistent dividend payments to shareholders
- Growth screens low (7/100)
- Fluctuations in the cost of raw ingredients
- High levels of debt impacting financial flexibility
- Changes in consumer preferences for natural or synthetic ingredients
What do International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.'s numbers mean?
How much money does International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. pay a dividend?
Yes - International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. currently pays a dividend of about 2.0% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.
What do the numbers say about International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.'s dividend?
There's no rating here, and we don't judge whether the dividend will continue - that would be advice. Here are the figures income investors usually look at, and what each one means, so you can weigh it up yourself.
Figures are from the latest available data and can be distorted by one-off results. Past payments don't predict future ones, and a dividend can be cut at any time. This lays out the numbers to help you understand them - it is not a view on what will happen.
When does International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. is next scheduled to report on about 2026-08-04 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-05 | $1.07 | $1.25 | Beat +17% |
| 2026-02-11 | $0.83 | $0.80 | Missed -4% |
| 2025-11-04 | $1.02 | $1.05 | Beat +3% |
| 2025-08-05 | $1.12 | $1.15 | Beat +3% |
| 2025-05-06 | $1.14 | $1.20 | Beat +6% |
| 2025-02-18 | $0.82 | $0.97 | Beat +18% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. came in ahead of what analysts expected 5 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
More in Basic Materials
What are the scenarios for International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Essential business model with products in everyday items
- Strong market position in the global fragrance and taste industry
- Consistent dividend payments to shareholders
- Recent decline in year-over-year revenue
- Relatively low return on equity: How much profit the company makes for each £1 shareholders have put in. Higher usually means a more efficient business. compared to some peers
- Complex business structure following large acquisitions
- Fluctuations in the cost of raw ingredients
- High levels of debt impacting financial flexibility
- Changes in consumer preferences for natural or synthetic ingredients
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A sustained return to positive revenue growth
- A significant reduction in the company's total debt load
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.