INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES INC vs Westlake Corporation, two Chemicals stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
International Flavors & Fragrances sells taste and scent ingredients that reorder through cycles, and even at a soft 5.85% return on equity it stayed profitable with a 7.68% net margin and a 2.04% free-cash yield. Westlake makes commodity chemicals and building products, and this downturn pushed it to a negative 18.09% return, a negative 14.91% margin, and a negative 5.18% free-cash yield. The prices reflect the split: IFF at 23.63 times earnings and 1.39 times book, Westlake with no earnings multiple and 1.08 times book. IFF pays a 2.1% dividend while still turning a profit; Westlake's 2.75% is meant to hold shareholders through the trough.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | IFF | WLK |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $77.51 | $75.50 |
| Market cap | $19.9B | $9.7B |
| Sector | Chemicals | Chemicals |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +19.0% | — |
| P/E | 24.0 | — |
| P/B | 1.41 | 1.07 |
| P/S | 1.85 | 0.88 |
| EV/EBITDA | 14.3 | — |
| Revenue growth | -5.6% | -8.7% |
| Gross margin | 37.1% | 4.2% |
| Operating margin | 10.0% | -6.5% |
| Net margin | 7.7% | -14.9% |
| Return on equity | 5.8% | -18.1% |
| Return on assets | 3.3% | -8.3% |
| Return on invested capital | 3.2% | -9.0% |
| FCF yield | 2.0% | -5.3% |
| Dividend yield | 2.1% | 2.8% |
| Debt / equity | 0.41 | 0.67 |
| Current ratio | 1.49 | 2.17 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 6.36 | 1.87 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 4 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.