Profit from booming food demand

Article Excerpt

Global demand for more and better food continues to rise, and developing regions are making better use of their farmland. We feel the best way to profit from these trends is with well-established agricultural leaders like Monsanto and Archer Daniels Midland. MONSANTO CO. $105 (New York symbol MON, Aggressive Growth Portfolio; Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 533.8 million; Market cap: $56.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.8; Dividend yield: 1.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.monsanto.com) recently won a major patent-infringement lawsuit. The dispute arose after a farmer in Indiana, who grew soybeans using Monsanto’s herbicide-resistant seeds, used the resulting seeds for future crops instead of buying more. Monsanto gets over 70% of its revenue by selling genetically modified seeds, so allowing farmers to replant these seeds would have significantly hurt the company’s prospects. The remaining 30% comes from pest- and weed-control products. Meanwhile, Monsanto earned $1.5 billion, or $2.74 a share, in the three months ended February 28, 2013. That’s up…