Fertilizers & Agricultural Chemicals

Potash (NYSE: POT) is having a conference call this morning to discuss the offer that BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP) made this morning for the company. It offered $130 per share for the potash producer. In the conference call, CEO Bill Doyle commented, "Global demand for food is steadily increasing,...

While we do not have a huge position in Potash (POT) we were fortunate to have something, as the long rumored bid by BHP Billiton (BHP) is announced this morning.  I never got the impression Mr. Doyle would want to sell the company since it has such an unique franchise and the potash market is sort...

Yahoo! Inc (NASDAQ: YHOO) was downgraded by BGC Financial from “buy” to “hold.” YHOO’s shares closed at $13.79 yesterday. Yahoo’s earnings have fallen by 6.09% in the past 5 years. JP Morgan downgraded Mosaic Company (NYSE: MOS) from “overweight” to “neutral.” MOS’ shares closed at $51.13 yesterday...

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) was upgraded by BGC Financial from "hold" to "buy." MSFT’s shares closed at $24.50 yesterday. Microsoft’s trailing-twelve-month gross margin is 80.16%. BofA/Merrill upgraded Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) from "neutral" to "buy." TGT’s shares closed at $50.72...

In an attempt to strengthen its retail business, fertilizer company Agrium Inc. (AGU) made an unsolicited offer to acquire AWB Limited for A$1.238-billion (US $1.19 billion). AWB Limited is Australia's largest agribusiness and one of the world's largest wheat marketing and management companies....

Canadian furniture and electronics retailer Leons (LNF) has raised it's dividend by 29% to $0.09 per share.  The raise came on  a nice earnings announcement where Leon's beat expectations quite handily growing their earnings per share 42% from last year. US Lawn & Garden manufacturer Scotts...

Analysts at Dahlman Rose maintain their "buy" rating on CF Industries Inc (NYSE: CF). The target price for CF is set to $100. According to Dahlman Rose, “CF reported adjusted 2Q10 earnings of $2.51, missing our estimate and consensus of $3.25 and $2.97 respectively. The earnings miss was due partly...

Year 4, Week 2 Major Position Changes To see historic weekly fund changes click here OR the label at the bottom of this entry entitled 'fund positions'. Cash: 72.7% (v 62.5% last week) 21 long bias: 23.2% (v 32.4% last week) 2 short bias: 4.1% (v 5.1% last week) 23 positions (vs 27 last week)...

Fertilizer company CF Industries Holdings Inc. (CF) reported second quarter 2010 results that fell short of analysts’ expectations. Earnings per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a significant 65 cents. However, CF’s shares rallied on the Terra Industries acquisition, which concluded at...

Intrepid Potash, Inc. (NYSE: IPI) is expected to report higher sales volumes, but will not be able to fully partake in the robust marketplace that is anticipated in the coming quarters, according to Dahlman Rose. Dahlman reports that Intrepid Potash faces challenges from production and capacity...

Potash Corp. (NYSE: POT), the largest North American maker of its namesake fertilizer, and mining giant Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP) are reportedly interested in Russian potash miner Uralkali. Russia is looking to diverse its economy beyond oil and natural gas and may seek foreign investment to bolster...

Below are the top nonmetallic mineral mining stocks on the NYSE, the NASDAQ and the AMEX in terms of operating margin. The trailing-twelve-month operating margin at Intrepid Potash Inc (NYSE: IPI) is 24.57%. Analysts at Soleil upgraded IPI from “sell” to “hold.” The trailing-twelve-month operating...

Monsanto (MON) approved an increase in the quarterly dividend payment from 26.5 cents per share to 28 cents. The primary motive behind this is to enhance shareholder sentiments. Monsanto also recently authorized a three-year share repurchase program of $1 billion. The increase in the production of...

Analysts at Deutsche Bank reiterate their "buy" rating on Monsanto (NYSE: MON). The target price for MON is set to $60. Deutsche Bank says, “On Wednesday, Monsanto kicked off its 5th annual "Whistle Stop" field tour in Gothenburg, NE. Day 1 highlights included the following: 1) Consistent with its...