Sale helps IFF trim debt

Article Excerpt

INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES INC. $104 is a buy. The company (New York symbol IFF; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 255.0 million; Market cap: $26.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.1; Dividend yield: 3.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.iff.com) makes compounds that improve the taste of food and the smell of consumer products. It merged with the nutrition and biosciences business of DuPont (New York symbol DD) in February 2021. DuPont shareholders now own 55.4% of the combined company, with IFF shareholders holding the rest. IFF will sell its Savory Solutions Group to a private equity firm. That business makes ingredients for food manufacturers, butchers and restaurants. The company plans to use the proceeds of $900 million to pay down its long-term debt of $10.26 billion (as of September 30, 2022). That’s a high, but manageable, 39% of IFF’s market cap. It also held cash of $538 million. IFF is a buy. buy…