Topic: How To Invest

Dividend Advisor Hotline – Friday, November 16, 2018

Article Excerpt

NUTRIEN LTD., $70.69, Toronto symbol NTR, is the new firm formed by the merger of Agrium Inc. (old symbol AGU) and rival fertilizer producer Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (old symbol POT). On January 1, 2018, Potash Corp. shareholders received 0.40 shares in Nutrien for each POT share they held; Agrium investors received 2.23 shares for each AGU share. The company now plans to raise its quarterly dividend by 7.5%. Starting with the January 2019 payment, investors will receive $0.43 U.S. a share instead of $0.40 U.S. The new annual rate of $1.72 U.S. yields 3.2%. Nutrien also plans to permanently close its potash mine in Sussex, New Brunswick. In 2016, Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan suspended operations at the mine due to depressed potash prices. The company has taken a $1.8 billion charge for this closure against its earnings in the quarter ended September 30, 2018 (all amounts except share price in U.S. dollars). That’s why Nutrien lost $1.07 billion, or $1.74 a share, in…