Monday, March 7, 2011

Picks 3/7

Who: Potash Corporation (NYSE: POT)

Why: Potash is the world's largest fertilizer company by capacity. They produce the nutrients potash (K), Phosphate (P) and Nitrogen (N) which are all essential for crop growth. At the turn of 2011-12 the world is going to reach a population of 7 billion. Simply put, we will need more food. Agricultural commodities are experiencing increasing prices which means farmers will be planting more crops to take advantage of the trend. More crops means more fertilizer. They have a gross margin of 40.15%, the highest out of companies in the non metallic mining industry meaning its has a lot of extra cash on hand for operations or expansion. In 2010 BHP Billiton Limited, a diversified resources company, offered to buy Pot for $139 a share, for a total of 39 billion dollars only to have Potash deny the offer. That kind of interest indicates Potash could have some serious value. It trades today at $59.12. I don't own Potash Currently, but am looking to buy shares in the near future.