50% off Premium Yearly
Nutrien Ltd.NTR.TOTOP PICKJan 09, 2018Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Aug 31, 2026. Market Open.
The limited exports that can get through the Strait of Hormuz will benefit Nutrien. Canada's natural gas industry has an opportunity and Nutrien has access to this. He has owned Nutrien and its predecessors for almost thirty years and plans to own for a long time. It has become a very integrated fertilizer company and now sells to farmers.
Technically shouldn't be as volatile as it has been, which has been because of the wars in Ukraine and now the Middle East. Retail business underpins the dividend. As population grows long term, so will the need for fertilizer. She buys for clients when it gets into the $80s. Dividend is safe and growing. Yield is ~3.2%.
Peak on chart due to disruption in fertilizer components from Iran war. She was buying last week below $90. Good for the patient investor with a long horizon. Limited new potash supply coming on, the need will increase, high barriers to entry.
Yield is 3.4%, which is paid from recurring revenue from the defensive retail channel. The solid dividend makes it safer to invest in this cyclical stock. Dividend's grown over 10% for past few years.
Trades at 11x forward PE and pays a 2% dividend. It will benefit from sustained fertilizer prices which have been impacted by the US-Iran war. That said, NTR benefits from lower energy costs, lowering their input costs. If the price of fertilizer stays flat or moves slightly higher, NTR will move higher. There will be capital rotation eventually.
There is a long-term secular theme of population growth. Currently the population is 7.5 billion, and is forecast to be 10 billion by 2050. This pick is a result of a merger of Potash and Agrium. As we have more people and as consumers in the emerging markets get wealthier, there is an increasing demand for food. This merger is taking place when nutrients are near their lows. For the merged company to grow earnings and cash flow, they don't necessarily need an improvement in nutrient prices. The company has indicated they can realize $500 million in synergies for the next couple of years. Also, as an outcome of the merger, they are required to make some asset sales, which can generate about $5 billion in cash. They can redeploy that cash by buying back stock and increasing the dividend. They also want to increase their retail agriculture business. (Analysts' price target is $59.51.)