Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR) is included among the 15 Global Dividend Stocks to Diversify Your Portfolio. Mizuho Lifts Target on Nutrien (NTR) as Sector Pressures Persist On December 18, Mizuho raised its price target on Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR) to $65 from $61 and kept a Neutral rating. The move came as part of the firm’s 2026 outlook for the chemicals, agriculture, and packaging sector. The analyst said China’s higher export volumes are weighing on most basic chemical markets. Mizuho also expects the March q ...

Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer recently discussed. During the episode, Cramer highlighted the stock’s pull-back and remarked: “The last few months have been brutal for the stock of Linde, the industrial gas distributor that we own for the Charitable Trust. Here’s a stock that pulled back 20% from its highs in August to its lows last week. It’s a brutal move, but it’s… been a pretty consistent name. While Linde is somewhat cyclical, given the nature of its industrial clients, this c ...

Core Insights - Nutrien Ltd.'s shares have increased by 40.5% year-to-date, outperforming the industry's 14.8% gain and the S&P 500's 18.3% rise [1]. Group 1: Market Performance - Nutrien's stock performance has been driven by strong fertilizer demand, particularly for potash, nitrogen, and phosphate, supported by expectations of robust crop production and limited new supply [5][8]. - The company has raised its 2025 potash sales outlook to approximately 14-14.5 million tons due to healthy demand from key markets such as North America, Brazil, and Southeast Asia [6][8]. Group 2: Financial Performance - Nutrien reported significant EBITDA growth in Q3 2025, driven by higher sales volumes and stronger pricing across all segments, reflecting improved operational leverage and cost-control initiatives [9]. - The company achieved margin expansion and a notable increase in free cash flow, allowing for over $1 billion in capital returns to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks in the first nine months of the year [10]. Group 3: Operational Efficiency - Nutrien is focused on enhancing operational efficiency and reducing production costs, with a target of achieving about $200 million in total cost reductions in 2025, currently ahead of schedule [11].

Core Insights - Air Products & Chemicals (APD) experienced a significant stock decline of nearly 25% within a year, dropping from approximately $315–$330 to around $236, surprising long-term investors [2] - The decline is attributed to a comprehensive strategic realignment in 2025, where the company exited several capital-intensive clean energy and hydrogen initiatives, incurring a $2.3 billion after-tax charge and reporting a GAAP net loss of about $1.7 billion for the fiscal second quarter of 2025 [4][5] Strategic Realignment - APD's management had previously invested heavily in clean energy and LNG projects to position the company as a leader in the energy transition, but these plans fell apart [4] - The company recorded an EPS of $2.69 for the same quarter, reflecting a decline of about 6% from the previous year, altering investor outlook from growth to recognizing misallocated funds [5] Operational Challenges - Revenues for fiscal 2025 remained around $12 billion, unchanged from previous years, indicating weak volume trends and macroeconomic pressures, particularly in Europe and Asia [6] - The sale of its LNG technology division further reduced the scale of operations, contributing to stagnation rather than expansion [6][7] Leadership Changes - A new CEO, Eduardo F. Menezes, took charge amid a proxy battle, raising concerns about the company's long-term trajectory during a critical phase of unwinding significant projects [8] - Investors are uncertain whether APD will continue pursuing energy-transition projects or revert to its traditional industrial-gas foundations, as recent write-downs indicate a shift in focus [9] Macro Economic Factors - Demand for industrial gas is closely linked to global manufacturing and energy activities, which underperformed in 2025, particularly in parts of Asia and Europe [10] - The helium market experienced weakened demand, and uncertainties in the energy and chemicals sector further dampened sentiment towards APD [10] Future Outlook - Despite the challenges, APD continues to generate substantial cash flows from its core operations, with a dividend yield between 2.7% and 2.9%, providing some stability [11] - The company's ability to restore margin growth and regain investor trust will be crucial for future expansion, as management's cautious approach may limit long-term growth prospects unless industrial-gas demand improves [12][13] - The recent 25% drop serves as a reminder that even stable industrial entities can falter when strategy, demand, and macroeconomic conditions change simultaneously [14]

Core Insights - Nutrien Ltd.'s shares have increased by 11.2% over the past month, outperforming the industry's decline of 0.7% and the S&P 500's rise of 1% during the same period [1]. Group 1: Growth Drivers - Nutrien is positioned to benefit from rising global fertilizer demand, supported by strong agricultural markets and tight inventories, which are expected to keep crop prices firm in 2025 [5]. - The company has recorded strong potash sales in the first nine months of 2025, leading to an increase in its potash sales guidance to 14–14.5 million tons [6]. - Nutrien is also expanding its operations in Brazil and plans to utilize free cash flow for targeted growth investments and acquisitions in its retail business [7]. Group 2: Cost Efficiency and Operational Improvements - Nutrien is targeting approximately $200 million in cost reductions for 2025 while enhancing its retail and digital platforms [9]. - The company is focused on lowering potash production costs and has implemented strategic actions to reduce controllable expenses, which are expected to improve free cash flow [10].

Core Insights - Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APD) is valued at a market cap of $58.1 billion, making it a leading player in the industrial gases sector, supplying various gases to multiple industries [1] - The company is classified as a large-cap stock, highlighting its significant size and influence in the specialty chemicals industry, supported by a strong project pipeline and long-term customer contracts [2] Financial Performance - APD's shares have decreased 23.5% from its 52-week high of $341.14, with an 11.5% decline over the past three months, underperforming the Dow Jones Industrial Average [3] - Over the past 52 weeks, APD has fallen 21.7%, contrasting with a 6.7% increase in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and is down 10% year-to-date compared to the Dow's 12.2% return [4] - Following its Q4 earnings release, APD's shares rose 8.9%, despite a marginal revenue decline to $3.2 billion and a 4.8% drop in adjusted EPS to $3.39, indicating strong cost control measures [5]

Core Insights - Linde plc is a global leader in industrial gases and engineering solutions with a market cap of $190.4 billion, serving various industries including healthcare, chemicals, and energy [1] - The company is recognized for its operational efficiency and innovation-driven engineering, consistently generating strong financial results and robust free cash flow [2] Financial Performance - Linde's stock has decreased 16.2% from its 52-week high of $486.38, with a 14.7% decline over the past three months, underperforming the Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund's (XLB) 4.2% decrease [3] - Year-to-date, Linde's stock is down 2.6%, lagging behind XLB's 4.4% gain, and has dropped 10.5% over the past 52 weeks compared to XLB's 7.6% drop [4] Market Sentiment - On November 11, Linde's stock closed more than 1% higher after UBS upgraded it from "Neutral" to "Buy," raising the price target to $500, indicating increased confidence in the company's growth trajectory [5] - UBS highlighted Linde as a strong defensive growth opportunity, noting that the stock was trading below its historical valuation with expectations for accelerated earnings growth [5] Competitive Landscape - Rival The Sherwin-Williams Company has underperformed compared to Linde, with shares down 14.3% over the past 52 weeks and marginally down year-to-date [6]

Core Insights - Nutrien Ltd. reported a significant profit increase to $496 million or 96 cents per share for Q3 2025, up from $25 million or 4 cents in the same quarter last year, with adjusted earnings per share at 97 cents, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 93 cents [1][8] - Sales rose approximately 12% year over year to $6,007 million, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5,827 million [1][8] Segment Performance - The Nutrien Ag Solutions (Retail) segment saw a 5% year-over-year sales increase to $3,427 million, although it fell short of the estimate of $4,338 million [2] - The Potash division experienced a 27% year-over-year sales rise, totaling $1,122 million, beating the estimate of $456 million, driven by strong demand in North America and offshore [3] - The Nitrogen segment reported sales of $1,063 million, up approximately 34% year over year, exceeding the estimate of $809 million, supported by strong demand and higher production [3] - The Phosphate segment generated sales of $495 million, reflecting a 20% year-over-year increase, surpassing the estimate of $255 million [4] Financial Overview - At the end of the quarter, Nutrien had cash and cash equivalents of $624 million, a 20% year-over-year increase, while long-term debt remained flat at $10,390 million [5] - Cash used in operating activities was reported at $426 million for the quarter [5] Future Outlook - The company projects retail adjusted EBITDA for 2025 to be between $1.68 billion and $1.82 billion, anticipating stronger crop nutrient and crop protection sales in the latter half of the year [6] - Potash sales volume guidance has been raised to 14–14.5 million tons, driven by expected higher global demand [6] - Nitrogen sales volumes are forecasted at 10.7–11 million tons, excluding additional sales from Trinidad operations for the remainder of 2025 [6] - Phosphate sales volumes are expected to be between 2.35 and 2.55 million tons, supported by improved operating rates [7] - Capital expenditures are projected at $2–$2.1 billion, which is below last year's level, including $400–$500 million for growth investments [7]

Financial Performance - Nutrien delivered structural earnings growth in the first nine months of 2025 through record upstream fertilizer sales volumes, improved reliability and higher Retail earnings[12] - Net Earnings were $1717 million and Adjusted EBITDA was $4769 million[14] - Retail Adjusted EBITDA increased by 5%[14, 15] - Share repurchases increased by 42%[11] Strategic Initiatives and Divestitures - Nutrien is initiating a review of strategic alternatives for its Phosphate business to enhance long-term value[17] - An agreement was announced to sell the 50% equity interest in Profertil S A for approximately $06 billion, increasing expected gross proceeds from asset divestitures to approximately $09 billion over the last twelve months[18] Segment Results - Retail: Q3 2025 saw a 35% increase in Crop Nutrients gross margin and a 7% increase in Crop Protection Products gross margin[20] - Potash: Q3 2025 average net selling price increased by 30% and sales volumes decreased by 2%[33] - Nitrogen: Q3 2025 average net selling price increased by 20% and sales volumes increased by 15%[46] Guidance and Market Outlook - Potash sales volumes guidance for 2025 was raised, with a range of 140 to 145 million tonnes[59] - Retail adjusted EBITDA guidance was maintained, with a range of $168 billion to $182 billion[59] - Global potash shipments are expected to grow to between 74 and 77 million tonnes in 2026[69]

Core Insights - Nutrien Ltd. (NTR) is experiencing strong demand for crop nutrients, cost reduction efforts, and strategic acquisitions, supported by improving fertilizer prices [1][11] Industry Overview - Nutrien is positioned well in the fertilizer market alongside competitors like The Mosaic Company, CF Industries, and Intrepid Potash, benefiting from robust global agricultural demand and tight inventories expected to support crop commodity prices in 2025 [2] - The company anticipates an increase in U.S. corn acreage in 2025, with record potash sales volumes in Q2 2025 driven by favorable affordability and strong consumption in North America and offshore markets [3][11] Sales Volume Projections - Nutrien expects potash sales volumes to range between 13.9 and 14.5 million tons for 2025, with nitrogen sales forecasted at 10.7 to 11.2 million tons, and phosphate sales projected between 2.35 and 2.55 million tons [7] Strategic Growth Initiatives - The company is expanding its presence in Brazil through acquisitions and plans to utilize part of its free cash flow for growth investments, including tuck-in acquisitions in the retail sector [4] - Nutrien is focused on operational efficiency and cost-saving initiatives, targeting approximately $200 million in total savings for 2025, with progress ahead of schedule [5][11] Financial Performance - Nutrien reported cash and cash equivalents of $1,387 million at the end of Q2, a 38% increase year-over-year, with operating cash flow surging 40% to $2,538 million for the quarter [6] - The company returned $0.8 billion to shareholders in the first half of 2025 through dividends and share buybacks [6]