Topic: How To Invest

Pat: Could I have your advice on Syngenta? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

Syngenta AG, $51.89, symbol SYT on New York (ADR) (Shares outstanding: 473 million; Market cap: $24.5 billion), was created by the merger of Novartis Agribusiness and Zeneca Agrochemicals in November 2000. Syngenta is a Switzerland-based firm that makes agricultural chemicals. It specializes in herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. The company also sells high-value commercial seeds that require a great deal of research to develop. Syngenta has customers all over the world. The company sells a broad range of seeds and agricultural products, and is a leader in an industry that is dominated by major global companies, including Dow Chemical and Monsanto. It is difficult for new competitors to enter this business. That’s because, like the pharmaceutical industry, the process of bringing new products to market is long and expensive. Sygenta is okay for aggressive investors to hold. ..