Potash investors should thank Ottawa

Article Excerpt

POTASH CORP. OF SASKATCHEWAN $50 (Toronto symbol POT; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 854.3 million; Market cap: $42.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 6.4; Dividend yield: 0.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.potashcorp.com) has risen 12% since the federal government blocked BHP Billiton Ltd.’s (New York symbol BHP) hostile, $43.33 U.S.-a-share takeover offer in November 2010 (all per-share amounts adjusted for a 3-for-1 split in February 2011). The gain is mainly due to rising fertilizer demand and prices. Potash Corp. is a leading producer of potash, phosphate and nitrogen for use in fertilizers. Most of the company’s mines are in Saskatchewan, which has the world’s largest potash deposits. The company sold 2.8 million tonnes of potash in the first quarter of 2011. That’s up 13.1% from 2.5 million tonnes a year earlier. The average potash price rose 14.0%, to $366 a tonne from $321 (all amounts expect share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). As a result, Potash Corp. earned $732 million in the…