This ethanol leader’s outlook is bright

Article Excerpt

ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND CO. $31 (New York symbol ADM; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 642.4 million; Market cap: $19.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.3; WSSF Rating: Above Average) processes corn, wheat, soybeans and other crops into a wide variety of food ingredients, such as flour, oils and sweeteners. The company mainly sells its products to firms that make and process food. Archer Daniels is also the largest maker of ethanol from corn in the U.S. Ethanol is a gasoline additive that lowers harmful emissions. The recession has driven down ethanol prices by 30% from last year’s peak. However, falling corn prices have cut the company’s production costs. Despite the drop, the long-term outlook for Archer Daniels’ ethanol business remains bright. That’s because lower ethanol prices have forced many of its competitors into bankruptcy, and others have scaled back their operations. As well, governments will likely force oil companies to use more ethanol in their fuels over the next few…