Archer Daniels lifts your income

Article Excerpt

ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND CO. $33 is a buy. This company (New York symbol ADM; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares o/s: 556.7 million; Market cap: $18.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.3; Divd. yield: 4.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.adm.com) is a leading processor of corn, wheat, soybeans, canola and other crops for flour, oils and other food ingredients. You also get direct exposure to ethanol from corn. In the fourth quarter of 2019, overall revenue rose 2.4%, to $16.3 billion from $15.9 billion a year earlier. Higher revenue from the nutrition business (food ingredients) offset weaker demand for other divisions. Those higher sales, especially for pet ingredients, sent earnings soaring in the quarter—up 59.4%, to $798 million from $495 million. Per-share earnings jumped 61.4%, to $1.42 from $0.88. With the March 2020 payment, Archer Daniels raised its quarterly dividend by 2.9%. Investors now receive $0.36 a share instead of $0.35. The new annual rate of $1.44 yields an attractive 4.4%. 4.4%….