PotashCorp Raises Quarterly Guidance And Announces Increase in Canpotex Forecast
15 9월 2004 - 1:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
PotashCorp Raises Quarterly Guidance And Announces Increase in
Canpotex Forecast Listed: TSX, NYSE Symbol: POT SASKATOON, SK,
Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Potash Corporation of
Saskatchewan Inc. (PotashCorp) announced today that Canpotex
Limited, the offshore sales association for Saskatchewan potash
producers, has once again increased its 2004 forecast for offshore
sales from a record 7.5 million tonnes to 7.65 million tonnes. This
is 1.32 million tonnes above last year's sales volumes. In addition
to this sales forecast increase, Canpotex expects to pull a total
of 7.85 million tonnes from its members in 2004 to ensure adequate
inventory levels going into 2005. PotashCorp supplies 54.2 percent
of all Canpotex sales. In response to demand, PotashCorp will be
bringing on a fourth shift at its Allan mine by the beginning of
November. This is in addition to the fourth shift that was added at
Lanigan in June of this year. These extra shifts will add
approximately 1.2 million more tonnes on an annual basis. Business
conditions are surpassing the company's original expectations for
the quarter. As a result, earnings are now expected to be between
$0.65 and $0.75 per share on a post-split basis for the third
quarter rather than the most recent guidance of $0.50 to $0.60.
Continuing strong potash markets and higher than anticipated
nitrogen prices are the business drivers for this increase in
earnings guidance. The company will update its annual guidance with
its third-quarter results. "The potash markets continue to be
robust, with increasing demand from Latin America and Asia," said
Bill Doyle, PotashCorp President and CEO. "With the rest of the
potash industry operating at or close to capacity, the world is
turning to us with our excess capacity. We have the unique ability
to rapidly bring up some of this capacity by adding another shift
and can quickly respond to the growing demands of the tight global
potash market." Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. is the
world's largest fertilizer enterprise producing the three primary
plant nutrients and a leading supplier to three distinct market
categories: agriculture, with the largest capacity in the world in
potash, fourth largest in phosphate and third largest in nitrogen;
animal nutrition, with the world's largest capacity in phosphate
feed ingredients; and industrial chemicals, as the largest global
producer of industrial nitrogen products and one of only three
North American suppliers of industrial phosphates. This release
contains forward-looking statements, which involve risks and
uncertainties, including those referred to in the company's annual
report to shareholders for 2003 and in filings with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission. A number of factors could cause
actual results to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to,
fluctuation in supply and demand in fertilizer, sulfur and
petrochemical markets; changes in competitive pressures, including
pricing pressures; risks associated with natural gas and other
hedging activities; changes in capital markets; changes in currency
and exchange rates; unexpected geological or environmental
conditions; and government policy changes. DATASOURCE: Potash
Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. CONTACT: Betty-Ann Heggie, Senior
Vice President, Corporate Relations, Phone: (306) 933-8521, Fax:
(306) 933-8844, E-mail: , Web Site: http://www.potashcorp.com/
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