Short Interest in Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE:INGR) Rises By 16.5%

Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE:INGR) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 2,655,083 shares, a growth of 16.5% from the February 12th total of 2,278,574 shares. Currently, 4.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 629,749 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.2 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 629,749 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.2 days. Currently, 4.3% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Larry Fernandes sold 3,630 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.40, for a total transaction of $429,792.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 32,055 shares in the company, valued at $3,795,312. This trade represents a 10.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO James P. Zallie sold 33,597 shares of Ingredion stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.66, for a total value of $4,020,217.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 50,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,002,983.22. This represents a 40.11% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 48,310 shares of company stock valued at $5,741,733 in the last quarter. 1.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ingredion

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Advisortrust Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Ingredion in the fourth quarter worth approximately $276,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in Ingredion by 57.8% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 44,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,865,000 after buying an additional 16,150 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Ingredion by 112.6% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,000 after buying an additional 429 shares during the period. Kera Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ingredion during the 4th quarter valued at $878,000. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ingredion by 21.3% in the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,303 shares of the company’s stock worth $254,000 after buying an additional 404 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

INGR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ingredion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Ingredion from $124.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ingredion in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Ingredion in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Ingredion from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $126.43.

Ingredion Price Performance

NYSE INGR opened at $113.24 on Wednesday. Ingredion has a one year low of $102.31 and a one year high of $141.78. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $115.88 and a 200 day moving average of $115.64. The company has a market capitalization of $7.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.15, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.73 and a current ratio of 2.66.

Ingredion (NYSE:INGR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.59 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. Ingredion had a net margin of 10.10% and a return on equity of 17.32%. Ingredion’s revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.63 EPS. Ingredion has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.000-11.8 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ingredion will post 11.14 EPS for the current year.

About Ingredion

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.