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International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 11 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 6 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Goodwill charge sits in reported loss: Loss before taxes was $412 million and reported EPS was $(1.46). The result includes a $1,153 million goodwill impairment for the Food Ingredients reporting unit. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA up 7% comparable: Adjusted operating EBITDA was $2.086 billion. Comparable currency neutral growth was 7%, led by volume growth, productivity gains and favorable net pricing. Source
  • Adjusted EPS ex amortization $4.20: Adjusted EPS excluding amortization was $4.20 per diluted share for the full year, compared with $4.22 in 2024. Source
  • Fourth-quarter EBITDA margin 16.9%: Adjusted operating EBITDA was $437 million, a 16.9% margin. Comparable currency neutral adjusted operating EBITDA rose 7%, led primarily by productivity gains. Source
  • Pipeline cited amid macro uncertainty: Management said macroeconomic uncertainty persists, and cited the strength of the pipeline and the benefits of reinvestment actions as reasons for confidence entering 2026. Source
  • Free cash flow $256 million: Operating cash flow was $850 million for the full year, against $1,070 million in 2024. Capital expenditures totaled $594 million. Source

“IFF delivered a solid 2025 performance, meeting the full-year financial commitments we set at the start of the year, despite a challenging operating environment”

Erik Fyrwald, CEO of IFF

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Sales Sourcefull year 2026$10.5 billion to $10.8 billionNew
Adjusted operating EBITDA Sourcefull year 2026$2.05 billion to $2.15 billionNew
Comparable currency neutral sales growth Sourcefull year 20261% to 4%New
Comparable currency neutral adjusted operating EBITDA growth Sourcefull year 20263% to 8%, at a faster rate than sales growthNew
Foreign exchange impact Sourcefull year 2026approximately 1% positive impact to sales growth; no impact on adjusted operating EBITDA growthNew
Divestiture impact Sourcefull year 2026approximately 5% adverse impact to both sales and adjusted operating EBITDA growthNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Full-year 2026 sales and adjusted operating EBITDA ranges were issued in this release; the prior release gave guidance for full-year 2025 only. Source
  • New: A sale process for the Food Ingredients segment was launched. Source

Full-year 2025 results

  • Full-year sales fell 5% reported: Reported full-year net sales were $10.89 billion, down 5%. Comparable currency neutral sales rose 2%, against a 6% prior-year comparable. Source
  • Goodwill charge sits in reported loss: Loss before taxes was $412 million and reported EPS was $(1.46). The result includes a $1,153 million goodwill impairment for the Food Ingredients reporting unit. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA up 7% comparable: Adjusted operating EBITDA was $2.086 billion. Comparable currency neutral growth was 7%, led by volume growth, productivity gains and favorable net pricing. Source
  • Adjusted EPS ex amortization $4.20: Adjusted EPS excluding amortization was $4.20 per diluted share for the full year, compared with $4.22 in 2024. Source

Segment results for the year

  • Taste sales up 4% currency neutral: Taste sales were $2.48 billion. Adjusted operating EBITDA was $478 million, a 19.3% margin, and comparable currency neutral EBITDA grew 10%. Source
  • Health & Biosciences margin 26.0%: Health & Biosciences sales were $2.28 billion, up 3% currency neutral. Adjusted operating EBITDA was $594 million, and comparable currency neutral EBITDA grew 7%. Source
  • Scent EBITDA up 2% currency neutral: Scent sales were $2.48 billion, up 3% currency neutral. Adjusted operating EBITDA was $515 million, a 20.8% margin, after reinvestment and unfavorable net pricing. Source
  • Food Ingredients EBITDA up 10% comparable: Food Ingredients sales were $3.28 billion, down 3% currency neutral. Adjusted operating EBITDA was $423 million, a 12.9% margin. Source
  • Pharma Solutions sold in May 2025: Pharma Solutions contributed $369 million of sales and $76 million of adjusted operating EBITDA before its divestitures closed in May 2025. Source

“Through several divestitures and the recent launch of a sale process for our Food Ingredients segment, we sharpened our strategic focus and improved our financial flexibility”

Erik Fyrwald, CEO of IFF

Fourth-quarter results

  • Fourth-quarter sales fell 7% reported: Reported fourth-quarter sales were $2.59 billion. Comparable currency neutral sales rose 1%, against a 6% prior-year comparable. Source
  • Fourth-quarter EBITDA margin 16.9%: Adjusted operating EBITDA was $437 million, a 16.9% margin. Comparable currency neutral adjusted operating EBITDA rose 7%, led primarily by productivity gains. Source
  • Fourth-quarter EPS $0.07: Income before taxes was $22 million. Adjusted EPS excluding amortization was $0.80 per diluted share for the fourth quarter. Source
  • Health & Biosciences sales up 5%: Health & Biosciences fourth-quarter sales rose 5% currency neutral. Adjusted operating EBITDA was $155 million, a 26.3% margin, and comparable currency neutral EBITDA grew 20%. Source
  • Scent Fine Fragrance drove Q4 growth: Scent fourth-quarter sales rose 4% currency neutral. Adjusted operating EBITDA was $106 million, a 17.4% margin, and comparable currency neutral EBITDA grew 1%. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Productivity program charges $70 million: Restructuring and other charges were $70 million for 2025, against $29 million in 2024, tied to the IFF Productivity Program. Source
  • Taste EBITDA up on pricing: Taste fourth-quarter adjusted operating EBITDA was $94 million, a 16% margin. Comparable currency neutral EBITDA grew 17%, led by net pricing and cost discipline. Source
  • Food Ingredients offset by lower volumes: Food Ingredients fourth-quarter comparable currency neutral EBITDA declined 11%, with an adjusted margin of 10.2%, as productivity gains were outweighed by lower volumes and net price. Source

“Looking ahead to 2026, we are continuing to serve our customers with leading innovation to grow profitably with them and deliver financial performance across the company.”

Erik Fyrwald, CEO of IFF

Products, customers and demand

  • Fine Fragrance led Scent growth: Scent full-year sales rose 3% currency neutral, led by Fine Fragrance, while Consumer Fragrance grew at a low-single digit rate. Source
  • Inclusions growth offset by Protein: Food Ingredients full-year sales declined 3% currency neutral. Protein Solutions softness and the exit of low-margin business offset Inclusions growth during 2025. Source
  • Food Biosciences grew high single digits: Health & Biosciences full-year growth was broad, led by high-single digit growth in Food Biosciences and mid-single digit growth in Home & Personal Care and Animal Nutrition. Source
  • Pipeline cited amid macro uncertainty: Management said macroeconomic uncertainty persists, and cited the strength of the pipeline and the benefits of reinvestment actions as reasons for confidence entering 2026. Source

Cash, debt and shareholder returns

  • Free cash flow $256 million: Operating cash flow was $850 million for the full year, against $1,070 million in 2024. Capital expenditures totaled $594 million. Source
  • Net debt leverage at 2.6x: Net debt was $5,436 million against total debt of $6,026 million at year end, against credit-adjusted EBITDA of $2,100 million. Source
  • Dividends and debt repayments: Cash dividends paid were $409 million, against $514 million in 2024. Principal debt payments were $2,913 million, funded partly by $2,743 million of net proceeds from business disposals. Source

Portfolio actions

  • Taste divestitures completed in 2025: The Flavors & Essences UK business was divested on September 1, 2025, and the Rene Laurent business in France on December 1, 2025. Source
  • Soy Crush held-for-sale loss: The company recorded a $115 million loss on assets classified as held for sale for the Soy Crush, Concentrates and Lecithin disposal group in 2025. Source
  • Disposal losses partly offset gains: Losses and gains on business disposals were net $109 million of losses for 2025, mainly the Pharma Solutions sale, partly offset by Nitrocellulose and Rene Laurent gains. Source

Executives, tax and other items

  • Executive separations add severance costs: Other items for 2025 were $9 million, mainly severance including accelerated stock compensation for certain executives who have separated from the company. Source
  • India Wage Code legislation impact: The other items for 2025 also include the effect of legislation changes in India related to the Wage Code. Source
  • Legal-entity restructuring tax benefit: Entity realignment costs were $8 million for 2025. A one-time tax benefit from the phased restructuring was partly offset by costs to implement it. Source

Coming up, as management said on 11 February 2026

  • Soy Crush divestiture assumed to close: Full-year 2026 guidance includes three months of Soy Crush, Concentrates and Lecithin results, assuming the divestiture closes on March 31, 2026. Source
  • Form 10-K due by March 2: The company said its Annual Report on Form 10-K will be available on its website and on sec.gov by March 2, 2026. Source

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Softness in Health, specifically in North America, partially offset Health & Biosciences fourth-quarter growth. Source
  • Regulatory: Regulatory costs were $106 million for 2025, against $73 million in 2024, mainly legal fees and provisions for fragrance business investigations. Source
  • Financial: Business divestiture costs were approximately $125 million for 2025, mainly consulting and legal fees. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Management said 2025 met the full-year financial commitments it set at the start of the year. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.