Agrium merges with Potash Corp

Potash Corp (NYSE:POT) yesterday was the subject of a new research report issued by Stifel Nicolaus in which it was upgraded as “Buy” by analysts at the firm.

Earnings Estimates: “17” Analysts are saying that the company to announce quarterly earnings of $0.09 per share for current quarter period Quarter Ending Sep-16. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. set a $14.00 target price on shares of Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 31st. Finally, Barclays PLC reaffirmed an underweight rating and set a $14.00 price target on shares of Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan in a research note on Saturday, June 25th. Vetr raised Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $19.64 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 12th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock.

One Month ago, the stock has gained consensus mean rating of Hold based on the analysis of brokerage analyst firms polled.

Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (NYSE:POT): After opening at $16, the stock dipped to an intraday low of $15.97 on Thursday. The latest trading activity of 17.91 Million shares is below its average volume of 8.58 Million shares. Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan has a 1-year low of $14.64 and a 1-year high of $25.58.

The 50 day moving average of Potash Corp (NYSE:POT) is 16.6 whilst its 200 day moving average is 16.92.

Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (USA) (NYSE:POT)’s average revenue estimates for the current quarter are $1.03B according to 12 number of analysts. Mean EPS estimate of 21 analysts for Next Fiscal Year is placed at $0.93. Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan had a return on equity of 9.17% and a net margin of 13.20%. Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan’s quarterly revenue was down 39.2% compared to the same quarter past year. The company reported the earnings of $0.18/Share in the last quarter where the estimated EPS by analysts was $0.19/share. Equities research analysts predict that Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan will post $0.53 earnings per share for the current year. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 7th. Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 123.46%.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of POT. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA now owns 6,850 shares of the fertilizer maker’s stock worth $111,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new stake in Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan during the second quarter worth $104,388,000. Callahan Advisors LLC now owns 10,200 shares of the fertilizer maker’s stock worth $166,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter.

Callon Petroleum Company’s (CPE) price volatility for a month noted as 3.50% however its price volatility for a week documented as 4.44%. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its position in shares of Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan by 35.5% in the first quarter.

Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc is a fertilizer company. The merger will create a company dominant in North America, controlling almost two-thirds of potash capacity, 30% of phosphate production capability and 29% of nitrogen capacity, National Bank analyst Greg Colman had said at the time. Following the close of the transaction, PotashCorp shareholders will own approximately 52 percent of the new company, and Agrium shareholders will own approximately 48 percent on a fully diluted basis.