IFF vs. STLD: Intl Flavors & Fragrances vs. Steel Dynamics Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and Steel Dynamics (STLD) 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 Steel Dynamics (STLD) both fall under the Materials industry group, but IFF is classified in Chemicals while STLD is classified in Metals & Mining.

Company profile comparison for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and Steel Dynamics (STLD)
Profile Item	IFF	STLD
Name	International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.	Steel Dynamics, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Specialty Chemicals	Steel
Market Capitalization	20.69 billion USD	31.70 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	December 17, 1974	November 22, 1996
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

IFF

STLD

GSPC

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD), 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 Steel Dynamics (STLD). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and Steel Dynamics (STLD). 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 Steel Dynamics (STLD)
Metric	IFF	STLD
Total Return (1Y)	40.13%	52.02%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	8.28%	29.83%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-8.71%	30.20%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

IFF

STLD

GSPC

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD), 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 Steel Dynamics (STLD). 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 Steel Dynamics (STLD)
Metric	IFF	STLD
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	36.26%	36.62%
Beta (5Y)	0.88	1.46
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-56.66%	-32.20%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.88M	1.06M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

IFF and STLD 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 Steel Dynamics (STLD)
Metric	IFF	STLD
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.99	1.30
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.71	1.92

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) reports a negative ROE of -7.37%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Steel Dynamics (STLD) reports 20.81%, ranking against industry peers normally.

IFF

Materials industry group

-7.37%

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

STLD

Materials industry group

20.81%

Max: 52.88%
STLD: 20.81%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at 1.68% and Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 8.82% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

IFF

Materials industry group

1.68%

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

STLD

Materials industry group

8.82%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
STLD: 8.82%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at 9.53% and Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 15.46% 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%

STLD

Materials industry group

15.46%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
STLD: 15.46%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and Steel Dynamics (STLD)
Metric	IFF	STLD
ROE (TTM)	-7.37%	20.81%
ROA (TTM)	2.18%	9.45%
Net Margin (TTM)	1.68%	8.82%
Operating Margin (TTM)	9.53%	15.46%
Gross Margin (TTM)	36.27%	15.90%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 3.63% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at -5.17% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Steel Dynamics (STLD) at -18.80% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at -248.42% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and Steel Dynamics (STLD)
Metric	IFF	STLD
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-5.17%	3.63%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-4.34%	-6.53%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-248.42%	-18.80%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-27.45%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at 1.87 and Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 3.15 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

IFF

Materials industry group

1.87

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

STLD

Materials industry group

3.15

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
STLD: 3.15
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at 0.51 and Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 0.45 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

STLD

Materials industry group

0.45

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
STLD: 0.45
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): 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 Steel Dynamics (STLD)
Metric	IFF	STLD
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.87	3.15
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.51	0.45
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.51	1.09

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at 1.85% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 0.94% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, IFF the richer one.

IFF

Materials industry group

1.85%

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

STLD

Materials industry group

0.94%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
STLD: 0.94%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 15.44% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at 62.26% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

IFF

Materials industry group

62.26%

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

STLD

Materials industry group

15.44%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
STLD: 15.44%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and Steel Dynamics (STLD)
Metric	IFF	STLD
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.85%	0.94%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	62.26%	15.44%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 16.46 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at 236.06 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for IFF’s trailing earnings.

IFF

Materials industry group

236.06

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

STLD

Materials industry group

16.46

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
STLD: 16.46
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) at 1.91 and Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 1.43 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

STLD

Materials industry group

1.43

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
STLD: 1.43
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): 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 Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 3.23 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

STLD

Materials industry group

3.23

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
STLD: 3.23
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Intl Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and Steel Dynamics (STLD)
Metric	IFF	STLD
P/E Ratio (TTM)	236.06	16.46
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.91	1.43
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.56	3.23
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-10.66%	1.36%