Ratings on (PRM) (RAH) (SYT) (WATG) (WYY) Downgraded

Ratings on shares of Primedia Inc (NYSE: PRM), Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: RAH), Syngenta AG (NYSE: SYT), Wonder Auto Technology Inc (NASDAQ: WATG) and WidePoint Co. (NYSE: WYY) were downgraded by analysts.

Gabelli downgraded Primedia Inc (PRM) from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating.

BB&T downgraded Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. (RAH) from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating. They have a price target of $100.00 on the company.

Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Syngenta AG (SYT) from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating.

Maxim Group downgraded Wonder Auto Technology Inc (WATG) from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating.

Craig Hallum downgraded WidePoint Co. (WYY) from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating.

Fertilizers (POT) (SYT) (MOS) (SMG) (CF) Pressured on Weak Crop Prices

Potash Corp (NYSE:POT), Syngenta (NYSE:SYT), Mosaic (NYSE:MOS), Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) and CF Industries (NYSE:CF) traded down Friday, with the exception of Potash, as a down week for major crops pressured the sector.

Corn and wheat finished down last week while soybeans were almost unchanged. A bearish USDA report weighed on the grains. Eventually the weather, flooding of the Mississippi and lack of activity in the fields will probably push up the prices of grains in the weeks ahead.

Corn futures for July-delivery climbed 6.5 cents, or 1 percent, to $6.87 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade. The price was down a little last week after dropping by the limit of 30 cents on May 11 when a U.S. report said inventories will be larger than analysts estimated.

Wheat for July delivery gained 8.5 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $7.44 a bushel in Chicago. The contract fell 2 percent last week, the third straight week of losses, after the government projected stockpiles in 2012 to be higher than expected.

Soybeans for July delivery rose 9 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $13.5175 a bushel in Chicago after gaining 0.8 percent Thursday. The oilseed was up slightly on the week, gaining 1.9 percent.

Potash closed Friday at $51.58, gaining $0.49, or 0.96 percent.

Potash (POT) (CMP) (MOS) (SYT) Trade Down as Wheat, Soybeans Prices Plunge

Fertilizer companies Compass Minerals (NYSE:CMP), Mosaic (NYSE:MOS), Syngenta (NYSE:SYT), Potash Corp (NYSE:POT) were under pressure Wednesday as wheat and soybean prices plummeted. Corn prices were able to generate a gain on the day.

In July agriculture contracts, wheat was down 21.25 cents to settle at $7.72 a bushel. Soybeans dropped 11.75 cents to settle at $13.52 a bushel.

Corn climbed 5.75 cents to settle at $7.295 a bushel.

Wheat and corn are expected to jump by about 5 cents to 10 cents over the next couple of days.

Companies supplying fertilizer will usually move in unison with the direction crop prices are going, as it is an indicator of the level farmers will spend on inputs.

Potash closed Wednesday at $53.42, falling $0.77, or 1.42 percent.

Potash (POT) (SYT) (MOS) (CMP) Driven up by wheat, Corn Profits

Wheat and corn prices continue to drive the profits of farmers up, resulting in capex from them toward companies like Potash Corp (NYSE:POT), Syngenta (NYSE:SYT), Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) and Compass Minerals (NYSE:CMP).

How quickly the griping from farmers has subsided since the worst of the recession when they were complaining about high input costs.

The U.S. will control 28 percent of global wheat exports in 2011, an increase from 18 percent in 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With prices averaging about $8 a bushel this quarter and the next, the highest levels in three years, farms will earn approximately $94.7 billion, according to analysts’ forecasts compiled by Bloomberg and an estimate from the USDA.

Other considerations for investors to consider is how this will impact shipping. Expectations are shipping lines won't benefit much from the increase in production because the U.S. is replacing lost supply from Russia and Ukraine.

Domestically it could help those companies shipping within borders, as it could offer some major boosts in that regard.

Syngenta (SYT) (MOS) (DE) (CF) (AGU) Down on Wheat, Corn Oversupply Fears

Syngenta (NYSE:SYT), Mosaic (NYSE:MOS), Deere (NYSE:DE), CF Industries (NYSE:CF) and Agrium (NYSE:AGU) close down Thursday on wheat, corn oversupply concerns.

A growing concern there could be a glut of wheat and corn on the market pushed down the shares of fertilizer and agriculture stocks Thursday.

"Although there have been muted concerns about the development of wheat crops in the Black Sea region, the trade is concerned that Russia and the Ukraine will be offering new crop wheat to the global market," said a Benson Quinn Commodities note.

The Ukraine also removes its corn export quota this week.

The weaker U.S. dollar wasn't enough to stem the losses Thursday. The U.S. dollar index fell 0.4% to $73.05.

Wheat for July delivery fell 2.6 percent to $7.90 3/4 a bushel. Wheat was one of the biggest commodity laggards Tuesday. Meanwhile, corn for July delivery was down 1.2 percent to $7.50¼ a bushel.

Syngenta (SYT) Shares Soar on Rising Food Prices

The share price of (NYSE:SYT) Syngenta AG has been moving steadily upward since bottoming out in the summer of 2010, rebounding from lows of $42.93 to surge by over 60 percent to reach a 12-month high of $68.67 on Friday.

Pricing power is the key to the performance of Syngenta, as pricing resistance from farmers has dissipated for the overall agricultural industry as crop prices have soared.

Syngenta recently reported that its revenue for the first three months of 2011 climbed 13 percent to $4.02 billion from $3.53 billion last year in the same quarter, easily beating analysts estimates.

CEO Mike Mack stated, "With commodity prices at elevated levels, farmers across the world feel encouraged to invest in crops and seed protection."

Chief Financial Officer John Ramsay the company has been able to selectively raise prices by about 2 percent on some products during the quarter. "And prices are holding," concluded Ramsay.

Syngenta closed Friday at $68.31, gaining $0.89, or 1.32 percent.

Analysts Upbeat on Syngenta (SYT), Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), CF Industries (CF), Potash (POT), Deere (DE)

Potash (NYSE:POT), Syngenta (NYSE:SYT), Archer Daniels Midland (NYE:ADM), CF Industries Holdings (NYSE:CF) and Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) are five agriculture stocks with potential upside of 8%-21%. Being analysts' favorites, these stocks have no sell ratings.

The agriculture industry is the talk of the street since a few months now, as global food demand has elevated to historic highs. The beneficiaries of this trend include the farming industry, equipment suppliers, fertilizer and pesticide companies and other service providers.

Moreover, weather-related production shocks in major food exporting countries have triggered this crisis. On the demand side, rising income levels and a growing middle-class in emerging markets like China and India are pushing food demand further.

With the world facing tight supply conditions for milling-quality wheat, as Australian wheat production has downgraded and European supply is offline, the U.S. is now the best source for milling-quality wheat to meet increasing demand from North America and the Middle East. To benefit ethanol producers, the U.S. government has extended its 45 cents per gallon tax credit by a year.




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Brazil Approves Syngenta's (NYSE:SYT) Triple Stack Corn

Syngenta (NYSE:SYT) announced they've received approval from Brazil for the company's triple stack corn.

The National Biosafety Committee in Brazil told Syngenta they could now plant its triple stack corn: Bt11 x MIR162 x GA21 in the country.

The triple stack corn of Syngenta is a combination of tolerance to herbicides and resistance to insects, specifically the fall army worm, which is the main threat to corn grown in Brazil. It also offers resistance to other crops pests similar to the army worm.

Brazilian farmers will have Syngenta's triple stack corn available for the the 2011/2012 planting season.

Syngenta closed Thursday at $65.37, falling $0.70, or 1.06 percent.

Monsanto (NYSE:MON), Dow (NYSE:DOW) Get Competition from DuPont (NYSE:DD), Syngenta (NYSE:SYT) on SmartStax

DuPont (NYSE:DD) has licensed Syngenta's (NYSE:SYT) corn rootworm trait MIR604 in order to compete more effectively against Monsanto (NYSE:MON) and Dow Chemical (NYSE:DOW) and SmartStax.

Pioneer Hi-Bred, which is wholly-owned by DuPont, will market and sell the seed for them.

By combining Syngenta's corn rootworm trait MIR604 with Acremax XTRA, Dupont's Pioneer should be able to compete against SmartStax, as it would offer above ground and below ground action.

That should allow Pioneer to win regulatory approval for 5% integrated refuge product, which would provide the type of convenience that is offered by SmartStax.

Pioneer is working toward having the hybrids on the market for 2012-2013.

With it being vital for DuPont to have a product that can compete against SmartStax, they're going to have to pay a hefty price to get it via the licensing agreement with Syngenta, which says may end up being more than $400 million via cumulative payments.

Eventually Dupont may choose to use its own proprietary trait to replace MIR604, but that wouldn't happen for several years if they choose to go that route.

DuPont closed Friday at $49.86, up $0.41, or 0.83 percent. Dow closed at $33.94, down $0.40, or 1.16 percent. Monsanto closed at $64.60, gaining $1.60, or 2.54 percent. Syngenta closed at $56.99, down $0.39, or 0.68 percent.