Good time to buy more Potash Corp.

Article Excerpt

POTASH CORP. OF SASKATCHEWAN $41 (Toronto symbol POT; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 865.1 million; Market cap: $35.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.3; Dividend yield: 3.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.potashcorp.com) is the world’s largest fertilizer producer. Its five potash mines in Saskatchewan and one in New Brunswick account for 20% of global potash capacity. Five of its mines have reserves of between 65 and 84 years. It also makes fertilizers from nitrogen and phosphate. Results reflect fertilizer prices Due to volatile fertilizer prices, sales fell from $9.4 billion in 2008 to $4.0 billion in 2009 (all amounts except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). Sales recovered to $8.7 billion in 2011 but fell to $7.9 billion in 2012. Earnings declined from $3.67 a share (or $3.5 billion) in 2008 to $1.11 a share (or $987.8 million) in 2009. (All per-share amounts adjusted for a 3-for-1 share split in February 2011.) Earnings then turned around and rose to…