Uncertain fertilizer prices cloud outlook

Article Excerpt

AGRIUM INC. $53 (Toronto symbol AGU; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 157 million; Market cap: $8.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.7; SI Rating: Average) earned $370 million, or $2.35 a share, in the three months ended June 30, 2009 (all amounts except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). Low fertilizer prices have forced Agrium to write down some of its inventories. If you exclude all unusual items, the company would have earned $387 million, or $2.43 a share. That’s 39.2% less than the $636 million, or $4.00 a share, that Agrium earned a year earlier. Sales rose 5.7%, to $4.1 billion from $3.9 billion, mainly because Agrium bought U.S.-based farm-products retailer UAP Holding Corp. in May 2008, and this business is making a larger contribution to its results. Poor weather conditions have hurt fertilizer demand. Farmers have also had problems getting credit during the recession. As a result, many have put off buying fertilizer and other supplies. These…