This resources merger has a bright future

Article Excerpt

NUTRIEN LTD. $59 (Toronto symbol NTR; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 643.8 million; Market cap: $38.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.7; Dividend yield: 3.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.nutrien.com) is the new firm formed by the merger of Agrium (old symbol AGU) and rival fertilizer producer Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (old symbol POT). On January 1, 2018, Potash Corp. shareholders received 0.40 shares in Nutrien for each POT share they held; Agrium investors received 2.23 shares for each AGU share. Potash Corp. investors now own 52% of the new company, and Agrium shareholders own the remaining 48%. Broad array of products helps cut risk Nutrien has four divisions: Retail (36% of pro-forma 2017 earnings) sells seeds, fertilizers and agricultural products to farmers through 1,500 stores in North America, South America and Australia; Potash (33%) produces potash fertilizer from mines in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick; Nitrogen (24%) makes nitrogen-based fertilizers from natural gas at 14 facilities in Canada and the U.S; and Phosphate…