International Flavors Earnings Beat Estimates in Q3, Sales Dip Y/Y

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF) reported adjusted earnings of $1.05 per share in third-quarter 2025, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.02 per share. The bottom line improved 1% from the year-ago quarter.Including one-time items, the company reported earnings of 16 cents per share compared with the prior-year quarter’s 23 cents per share.International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise  International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. QuoteInternational Flavors’ net sales fell 7.9% year over year to $2.69 billion but surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.63 billion. On a comparable basis, currency-neutral sales were flat with the prior-year quarter due to mid-single-digit growth in Scent and a low-single-digit growth in Taste.International Flavors’ Q3 Gross Profit Dip Y/YIn the reported quarter, IFF’s cost of goods sold was down 8.6% year over year to $1.71 billion. The gross profit fell 6.6% year over year to $983 million. The gross margin was 36.5% compared with 36% in the year-ago quarter.Research and development expenses increased 7% year over year to $174 million. The selling and administrative expenses fell 15% year over year to $421 million in the third quarter.The adjusted operating EBITDA was $519 million, down 8.6% from the prior-year quarter’s $568 million. The adjusted operating EBITDA margin was 19.3% compared with the year-ago quarter’s 19.4%.IFF’s Q3 Segmental PerformancesNet sales in the Taste segment increased 2.6% year over year to $635 million in the September-end quarter. The figure surpassed our estimate of $617 million. The adjusted operating EBITDA was $128 million, up 3.2% year over year. Our estimate for the segment’s adjusted EBITDA was $121 million.Net sales in the Food Ingredients segment fell 1.5% year over year to $830 million in the September-end quarter. The figure beat our estimate of $813 million. The adjusted operating EBITDA was $106 million, up 20.5% year over year. Our estimate for the segment’s adjusted EBITDA was $107 million.Sales generated in the Health & Bioscience segment were $577 million compared with the year-earlier quarter’s $568 million. Our estimate was $580 million. The adjusted operating EBITDA was $150 million in the quarter, up 0.7% year over year. Our estimate for the segment’s adjusted EBITDA was $150 million.The Scent segment’s sales were $652 million, up 6.4% year over year. Our projection was $614 million. The adjusted operating EBITDA grew 7.1% year over year to $135 million. Our model had projected EBITDA of $123 million.International Flavors’ Q3 Cash Flow & Balance Sheet UpdatesInternational Flavors had cash and cash equivalents of $621 million at the end of third-quarter 2025, up from $469 million at the end of 2024. Long-term debt was $4.74 billion at the third-quarter end, down from $7.56 billion as of Dec. 31, 2024.International Flavors generated $532 million in operating activities in the first nine months of fiscal 2025 compared with $681 million in the prior-year period.IFF Reaffirms 2025 GuidanceThe company expects sales for fiscal 2025 between $10.6 billion and $10.9 billion. Adjusted EBITDA is expected between $2 billion and $2.15 billion.International Flavors’ Price PerformanceIn the past year, IFF shares have lost 36.6% compared with the industry’s 10.8% decline.  Image Source: Zacks Investment Research IFF’s Zacks RankInternational Flavors currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Performance of Other Chemical - Specialty Stocks in Q3Linde plc. (LIN) reported third-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings per share of $4.21, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.18. The bottom line also improved from the year-ago quarter’s $3.94.Linde’s total quarterly sales of $8.62 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8.60 billion. The top line also increased from the year-ago quarter’s $8.36 billion.PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG) posted third-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings per share of $2.13, up from $2.03 in the year-ago quarter, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.09.PPG Industries’ sales were $4.08 billion in the quarter, up 1.2% year over year. The top line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.04 billion.Ecolab Inc.’s (ECL) adjusted earnings in third-quarter 2025 were $2.07 per share, up from $1.83 a year ago. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.06.Ecolab reported net sales of $4.16 billion for the quarter, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.12 billion. The company’s top line increased 4.2% year over year.Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor StockThis under-the-radar company specializes in semiconductor products that titans like NVIDIA don't build. It's uniquely positioned to take advantage of the next growth stage of this market. And it's just beginning to enter the spotlight, which is exactly where you want to be.With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $971 billion by 2028.See This Stock Now for Free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Ecolab Inc. (ECL): Free Stock Analysis Report PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG): Free Stock Analysis Report International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF): Free Stock Analysis Report Linde PLC (LIN): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks