First Trust Advisors LP Acquires 1,059,324 Shares of Ingredion Incorporated $INGR

First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE:INGR) by 53.1% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,054,149 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,059,324 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Ingredion were worth $344,080,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ingredion during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Ingredion in the first quarter worth $33,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Ingredion in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its position in Ingredion by 40.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in Ingredion by 83.7% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. 85.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ingredion Price Performance

Shares of Ingredion stock opened at $101.91 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $6.43 billion, a PE ratio of 9.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.62. Ingredion Incorporated has a 12-month low of $94.44 and a 12-month high of $135.68. 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’s fifty day simple moving average is $100.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $109.06.

Ingredion (NYSE:INGR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.97 EPS. Ingredion has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.450-11.150 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ingredion Incorporated will post 10.88 EPS for the current year.

Ingredion Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st were issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 1st. Ingredion’s payout ratio is currently 31.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on INGR. Oppenheimer downgraded Ingredion from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ingredion in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Zacks Research upgraded Ingredion from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Barclays decreased their price target on Ingredion from $128.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $114.00 price objective on shares of Ingredion in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $122.43.

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.