Ingredion (NYSE:INGR) Cut to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Ingredion (NYSE:INGR) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on INGR. Benchmark began coverage on shares of Ingredion in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $130.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Ingredion in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Ingredion in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $114.00 price target on shares of Ingredion in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Ingredion from $128.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $122.43.

Ingredion Price Performance

Shares of INGR opened at $100.61 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $6.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.64. Ingredion has a twelve month low of $99.50 and a twelve month high of $140.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a 50 day moving average of $110.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $111.95.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Davida Marie Gable sold 375 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.44, for a total transaction of $42,165.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 7,110 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $799,448.40. This trade represents a 5.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ingredion by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,487,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $825,556,000 after purchasing an additional 208,606 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Ingredion by 6.0% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,115,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,952,000 after purchasing an additional 175,600 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Ingredion by 53.1% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,054,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $344,080,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059,324 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ingredion by 53.3% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,826,018 shares of the company’s stock worth $201,337,000 after purchasing an additional 634,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Snyder Capital Management L P raised its holdings in shares of Ingredion by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Snyder Capital Management L P now owns 1,381,775 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,355,000 after purchasing an additional 57,928 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.27% of the company’s stock.

Ingredion Company Profile

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.