Monsanto raises 2005 profit forecast, shares jump

KANSAS CITY - Monsanto on Tuesday increased its 2005 profit forecast because of better-than-expected revenue from seed sales and gene technology as the US spring planting season gets underway.

Monsanto, whose shares rose 5 per cent, forecast profit in a range of US85c to US97c a share, compared with a prior forecast of US71c to US93c a share.

The company cited good sales of corn and soybean seeds and licensing fees and royalties for technology to produce genetically modified crops.

The company also said net profit for the second quarter ended in February should come to US$1.37 a share, or US$1.38 a share on an ongoing basis, excluding certain items.

Analysts, on average, expected the company to earn US$1.18 a share, according to Reuters Estimates.

Monsanto, which will report earnings April 6, said results were boosted by higher revenue from its corn and soybean genetic technology business in the United States, and increased corn seed sales in Europe and Africa.

Monsanto has a growing presence in the US seed industry, both through direct sales of its seeds and licensing of genetic traits to other seed companies.

"This second quarter ends up being the big one for seed sales," said Monsanto spokesman Bryan Hurley.

Higher revenue from Monsanto's Roundup and non-branded herbicides abroad also contributed to the raised expectations, continuing a trend noted in the first quarter, said Hurley.

Monsanto, whose revenue was once largely dependent on its agricultural herbicide sales, has been shifting its focus to sales of seeds and development of genetic modifications to seeds because of increased competition in herbicide market.

The St. Louis-based company's gene technology business includes licensing and selling genetic characteristics for crops that make plants resistant to herbicide and insect, and this year Monsanto has a soybean trait on the market that produces healthier oil.

Monsanto shares rose US$3.07 to US$63.17 on the New York Stock Exchange.

- REUTERS