Ingredion (NYSE:INGR) Downgraded by Zacks Research to “Strong Sell”

Zacks Research cut shares of Ingredion (NYSE:INGR) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Ingredion from $128.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ingredion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Ingredion in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Ingredion in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ingredion in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $122.43.

Ingredion Price Performance

INGR opened at $100.61 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Ingredion has a 12 month low of $99.50 and a 12 month high of $140.85. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $110.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $111.95. The stock has a market cap of $6.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.64.

Ingredion (NYSE:INGR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by ($0.10). Ingredion had a net margin of 9.36% and a return on equity of 15.86%. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.97 EPS. Ingredion’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Ingredion has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.450-11.150 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Ingredion will post 10.88 EPS for the current year.

Ingredion Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 1st were paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 1st. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Ingredion’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Davida Marie Gable sold 375 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.44, for a total value of $42,165.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 7,110 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $799,448.40. This represents a 5.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ingredion

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ingredion by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,487,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $825,556,000 after buying an additional 208,606 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Ingredion by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,115,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,952,000 after buying an additional 175,600 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Ingredion by 53.1% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,054,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $344,080,000 after buying an additional 1,059,324 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ingredion by 53.3% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,826,018 shares of the company’s stock worth $201,337,000 after buying an additional 634,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Snyder Capital Management L P boosted its stake in shares of Ingredion by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Snyder Capital Management L P now owns 1,381,775 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,355,000 after buying an additional 57,928 shares during the last quarter. 85.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ingredion

Ingredion Incorporated is a global ingredient solutions company specializing in the production and sale of starches, sweeteners, nutrition ingredients and biomaterials derived primarily from corn and other plant-based raw materials. The company serves a diverse set of industries, including food and beverage, brewing, pharmaceuticals and personal care, providing functional ingredients that enhance texture, stability, flavor and nutritional value in a wide array of end products.

The company’s product portfolio comprises native and modified starches, high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, maltodextrins, specialty sweeteners and various texturizers.