International Flavors Gears Up to Report Q1 Earnings: What's in Store?
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.IFF is scheduled to report first-quarter 2026 results on May 5, after the closing bell.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for sales is pegged at $2.65 billion, indicating a 6.7% dip from the year-ago reported figure.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $1.08 per share, which has been unchanged in the past 60 days. The estimate indicates a year-over-year decline of 10%.
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IFF’s Earnings Surprise History
International Flavors’ earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed in one, the average beat being 1.9%.
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What the Zacks Model Unveils for International Flavors
Our model predicts an earnings beat for International Flavors this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. That is precisely the case here.
Earnings ESP: IFF has an Earnings ESP of+2.09%. You can uncover the best stocks before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Zacks Rank: The company currently carries a Zacks Rank of 3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Factors Likely to Have Shaped IFF’s Q1 Performance
The company has been witnessing volume growth, with broad-based contributions across each of its businesses. IFF’s ongoing efforts to improve productivity and reduce costs are likely to have benefited its margins.
However, International Flavors has been incurring high raw material costs and additional costs related to labor, shipping and cleaning. Despite its pricing actions and focused cost-reduction efforts, these factors are likely to have dented margins in the to-be-reported quarter.
Projections for International Flavors’ Segments in Q1
In May 2025, the company divested its Pharma Solutions segment. At the beginning of the first quarter of 2025, IFF separated its Nourish segment into the Taste and Food Ingredients segments. Post these adjustments, the company currently has four business divisions — Taste, Food Ingredients, Health & Bioscience, and Scent.
Our model estimates the Taste segment’s first-quarter sales to rise 3.5% year over year to $649 million. The segment’s adjusted operating EBITDA is projected to be $139 million, indicating growth of 6.4% from the year-ago quarter’s reported numbers.
Our model estimates the Food Ingredient segment’s first-quarter sales to inch up 0.1% year over year to $797 million. The segment’s adjusted operating EBITDA is estimated to be $118 million, indicating an increase of 6.3% from the year-ago reported figure.
We expect the Scent segment’s sales to increase 3.7% year over year to $637 million. The ongoing momentum in Consumer Fragrance, as well as improvement in Fragrance Ingredients and Fine Fragrance, is likely to have aided its performance. However, the gains might have been partially negated by higher costs. Our estimate for the segment’s quarterly operating EBITDA is $158 million, indicating a year-over-year rise of 9.5%.
The Health & Biosciences segment’s sales are projected to be $558 million, indicating a 3.3% increase from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure. We expect operating EBITDA to increase 22.3% to $169 million.
IFF Stock’s Price Performance
In the past year, International Flavors shares have lost 8.4% against the industry’s 7% growth. During this time, the Basic Materials sector has jumped 43.1%, whereas the S&P 500 has grown 34%.
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Stocks Poised to Beat Estimates
Here are some Basic Materials stocks, which, according to our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in their upcoming releases.
CF Industries Holdings, Inc.CF, scheduled to release first-quarter 2026 earnings on May 6, has an Earnings ESP of +1.07% and sports a Zacks Rank of 1 at present.
CF Industries’ earnings estimates for the first quarter have moved up 11.4% over the past 60 days. The estimate is pegged at $2.35 cents per share, indicating an increase of 27% from the year-ago quarter’s actual. CF Industries has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 13.1%.
Albemarle CorporationALB, scheduled to release first-quarter 2026 earnings on May 6, has an Earnings ESP of +20.12%. It carries a Zacks Rank #3 at present.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Albemarle’s earnings for the first quarter is pegged at $1.24, indicating a turnaround performance from the loss of 18 cents in the year-ago quarter. Albemarle has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 57.8%.
Wheaton Precious Metals Corp.WPM, slated to release first-quarter 2026 earnings on May 7, has an Earnings ESP of +7.44% and a Zacks Rank #3.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Wheaton Precious Metals’ earnings for the first quarter is pegged at $1.15, indicating a year-over-year surge of 109.9%. Wheaton Precious Metals has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 13.7%.
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