Weaker prices hurt Potash Corp.

Article Excerpt

POTASH CORP. OF SASKATCHEWAN $25 (Toronto symbol POT; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 839.8 million; Market cap: $21.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 5.3; Dividend yield: 2.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.potashcorp.com) is a leading producer of potash, nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers. In the three months ended December 31, 2016, the company’s overall revenue fell 21.9%, to $1.1 billion from $1.35 billion a year earlier (all amounts except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). Potash supplied 38% of the company’s total revenue. Shipments of this material jumped 27.2% in the quarter, but selling prices slumped 24.0%. Nitrogen fertilizer (31% of revenue) saw its shipments rise 4.9%, but prices dropped 36.8%. Phosphate (31%) shipments fell 22.6%, while prices declined 5.7%. Earnings in the quarter dropped 70.8%, to $0.07 a share (or a total of $59 million) from $0.24 a share (or $201 million). Potash Corp. expects to complete its merger with rival fertilizer producer Agrium Inc. (Toronto symbol AGU) later this year. Under the…