Upcoming merger gives IFF an edge

Article Excerpt

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to prompt consumers to eat more of their meals at home, which is good news for these two firms that supply them with vital ingredients. Note that for your new buying, we prefer IFF, which should see substantial gains from its upcoming deal with DuPont. INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES INC. $101 is a buy. The company (New York symbol IFF; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares o/s: 106.6 million; Market cap: $10.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.1; Divd. yield: 3.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.iff.com) makes 90,000 compounds that improve the taste of food and the smell of consumer products. IFF now plans to merge with the nutrition and biosciences business of DuPont (New York symbol DD). DuPont shareholders will own 55.4% of the combined company, with IFF shareholders holding the rest. DuPont and IFF expect the merger will deliver $300 million in annual cost savings by the third year. They expect to complete the transaction in the first…