Agrium adds stores in Argentina

Article Excerpt

AGRIUM INC. $59 (Toronto symbol AGU; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 157 million; Market cap: $9.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; Dividend yield: 0.2%; SI Rating: Average) has purchased 24 retail stores in Argentina. These stores sell fertilizers, seeds and a variety of other agricultural products to farmers. Agrium now has 56 stores in Argentina. It also bought a plant that makes herbicides, insecticides and other crop-protection products. Agrium did not say how much it paid for these businesses. However, they should add $57 million U.S. to its annual revenue of $9.3 billion U.S. Adding retail stores makes sense for Agrium, because its retail operations cut its exposure to volatile fertilizer prices. Agrium’s retail division supplied 30% of its 2009 profits. Agrium is a buy. buy…