IFF vs. IP: Intl Flavors & Fragrances vs. International Paper Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and International Paper (IP) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and International Paper (IP) both fall under the Materials industry group, but IFF is classified in Chemicals while IP is classified in Containers & Packaging.

Company profile comparison for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and International Paper (IP)
Profile Item	IFF	IP
Name	International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.	International Paper Co.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Containers & Packaging
GICS Sub-Industry	Specialty Chemicals	Paper & Plastic Packaging Products & Materials
Market Capitalization	20.69 billion USD	18.29 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	December 17, 1974	January 2, 1962
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

IFF

GSPC

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. International Paper (IP), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and International Paper (IP). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and International Paper (IP). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and International Paper (IP)
Metric	IFF	IP
Total Return (1Y)	40.13%	-2.70%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	8.28%	6.64%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-8.71%	-2.14%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

IFF

GSPC

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. International Paper (IP), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and International Paper (IP). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and International Paper (IP)
Metric	IFF	IP
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	36.26%	42.71%
Beta (5Y)	0.88	0.96
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-56.66%	-48.61%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.88M	5.09M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

IFF and IP are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and International Paper (IP)
Metric	IFF	IP
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.99	-0.16
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.71	-0.24

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at -7.37% and International Paper (IP) at -22.30% report negative ROE values. Negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so both readings need extra context.

IFF

Materials industry group

-7.37%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
IFF: -7.37%
Min: -32.81%

IP

Materials industry group

-22.30%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
IP: -22.30%
Min: -32.81%

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

International Paper (IP) reports a negative net margin of -14.32%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) reports 1.68%, ranking against industry peers normally.

IFF

Materials industry group

1.68%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
IFF: 1.68%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

IP

Materials industry group

-14.32%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
IP: -14.32%
Min: -20.40%

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at 9.53% and International Paper (IP) at 5.89% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

IFF

Materials industry group

9.53%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
IFF: 9.53%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

IP

Materials industry group

5.89%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
IP: 5.89%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and International Paper (IP)
Metric	IFF	IP
ROE (TTM)	-7.37%	-22.30%
ROA (TTM)	2.18%	1.60%
Net Margin (TTM)	1.68%	-14.32%
Operating Margin (TTM)	9.53%	5.89%
Gross Margin (TTM)	36.27%	29.78%

Growth

Revenue Growth

International Paper (IP) at 49.25% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at -5.17% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Neither side shows strong earnings momentum: Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at -248.42% sits in the bottom EPS growth quartile, and International Paper (IP) at -542.68% is weaker still, below its industry range.

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and International Paper (IP)
Metric	IFF	IP
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-5.17%	49.25%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-4.34%	3.75%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-248.42%	-542.68%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at 1.87 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while International Paper (IP) at 0.99 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for IP.

IFF

Materials industry group

1.87

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
IFF: 1.87
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

IP

Materials industry group

0.99

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
IP: 0.99
Min: 0.16

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at 0.51 and International Paper (IP) at 0.79 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

IFF

Materials industry group

0.51

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
IFF: 0.51
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

IP

Materials industry group

0.79

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
IP: 0.79
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and International Paper (IP)
Metric	IFF	IP
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.87	0.99
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.51	0.79
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.51	2.40

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at 1.85% earns its spot in the top quartile of its industry’s yields; International Paper (IP) at 5.40% is past the top of its own peer range — territory where a dividend-safety check matters more than the headline number.

IFF

Materials industry group

1.85%

Max: 4.52%
IFF: 1.85%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

IP

Materials industry group

5.40%

IP: 5.40%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

International Paper (IP) reports payout ratio above 100% at 402.17%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) reports 62.26%, ranking against industry peers normally.

IFF

Materials industry group

62.26%

Max: 83.62%
IFF: 62.26%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

IP

Materials industry group

402.17%

IP: 402.17%
Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and International Paper (IP)
Metric	IFF	IP
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.85%	5.40%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	62.26%	402.17%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) trades at 236.06 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while International Paper (IP) has no P/E ratio this period.

IFF

Materials industry group

236.06

IFF: 236.06
Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

IP

Materials industry group

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93
IP: --

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. International Paper (IP): IP does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; IFF is benchmarked against the Materials industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at 1.91 and International Paper (IP) at 0.76 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

IFF

Materials industry group

1.91

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
IFF: 1.91
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

IP

Materials industry group

0.76

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
IP: 0.76
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at 1.56 and International Paper (IP) at 1.39 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

IFF

Materials industry group

1.56

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
IFF: 1.56
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

IP

Materials industry group

1.39

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
IP: 1.39
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and International Paper (IP)
Metric	IFF	IP
P/E Ratio (TTM)	236.06	--
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.91	0.76
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.56	1.39
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-10.66%	12.53%