Lawsuit settlement cuts IFF’s risk

Article Excerpt

INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES INC. $133 (New York symbol IFF; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 79.0 million; Market cap: $10.5 billion; Price-tosales ratio: 3.3; Dividend yield: 1.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.iff.com) makes over 38,000 compounds that improve the taste of food and the smell of consumer products. The company has agreed to settle a patent-infringement lawsuit by ZoomEssence Inc. As a result, IFF paid $56.0 million to ZoomEssence. That’s equal to 46% of the $121.1 million, or $1.52 a share, it earned in the first quarter of 2017. The settlement will have little impact on IFF’s prospects. The company is currently streamlining its operations and cutting jobs. It expects those moves will cut its annual costs by $40 million to $45 million starting in 2019. IFF is a buy. buy…