Specialized products cut its risk

Article Excerpt

NUTRIEN LTD. $71 is a buy. In addition to its main fertilizer business, the company (Toronto symbol NTR; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 494.5 million; Market cap: $35.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend yield: 4.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.nutrien.com), through its Loveland Products business, develops specialized seeds and crop protection products that help farmers increase their crop yields. Loveland recently acquired the soybean seed program of German chemical maker BASF for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition nicely complements Nutrien’s similar products for cotton and rice, which it sells under the Dyna-Gro brand through its retail outlets in the southern U.S. Innovative products like these help build customer loyalty and cut Nutrien’s reliance on bulk fertilizer sales. Nutrien is a buy. buy. …