IFF’s smart acquistions will pay off

Article Excerpt

INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES INC. $105 (New York symbol IFF; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 80.7 million; Market cap: $8.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.7; Dividend yield: 2.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.iff.com) makes over 36,000 compounds that improve the taste of food and the smell of consumer products. IFF recently paid $311 million for Lucas Meyer Cosmetics, a Quebec-based company that supplies ingredients to makers of cosmetics and personal care products. It also acquired Henry H. Ottens Manufacturing, a private Philadelphia-based firm that makes flavourings for major food makers. IFF paid $199.2 million for this business. Expanding by acquisition is riskier than internal growth, but these are well-established companies with high-quality clientele. That cuts IFF’s risk. Excluding unusual items, such as costs to integrate these operations, IFF’s earnings fell 1.3% in the quarter ended June 30, 2015, to $111.0 million from $112.5 million a year earlier. Per-share earnings declined 0.7%, to $1.36 from $1.37, on fewer shares outstanding…