
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM)
Archer-Daniels-Midland is a global giant that turns crops like corn, oilseeds, and wheat into food, animal feed, and industrial ingredients.
Is Archer-Daniels-Midland Company a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: Archer-Daniels-Midland is a global giant that turns crops like corn, oilseeds, and wheat into food, animal feed, and industrial ingredients.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
Long-term growth in global population driving sustained demand for food.
Shift in consumer dietary habits away from processed ingredients.
What does Archer-Daniels-Midland Company do?
Think of ADM as the massive middleman of the global food supply chain, connecting farmers to the food and drink brands you see on supermarket shelves. The business runs on buying, storing, transporting, and processing raw agricultural commodities into products like flour, vegetable oils, and sweeteners. Much depends on how global weather patterns and trade policies shape the price and availability of these crops, since their profit margins are quite thin.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on momentum and value, and weakest on growth.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 2.6% a year
- !Thin profits - turns only about 1% of sales into profit
- !High P/E of 36 - big growth is already priced in
- Momentum screens high (70/100)
- Essential role in the global food supply chain
- Lower price volatility compared to the broader market
- Consistent history of paying dividends to shareholders
- Quality screens low (27/100)
- Growth screens low (22/100)
- Geopolitical tensions disrupting international trade routes
- Climate change impacting long-term agricultural productivity
- Regulatory changes affecting food processing standards
What do Archer-Daniels-Midland Company's numbers mean?
How much money does Archer-Daniels-Midland Company make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does Archer-Daniels-Midland Company pay a dividend?
Yes - Archer-Daniels-Midland Company currently pays a dividend of about 2.6% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.
When does Archer-Daniels-Midland Company report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company is next scheduled to report on about 2026-08-04 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-05 | $0.66 | $0.71 | Beat +8% |
| 2026-02-03 | $0.80 | $0.87 | Beat +9% |
| 2025-11-04 | $0.85 | $0.92 | Beat +8% |
| 2025-08-05 | $0.80 | $0.93 | Beat +17% |
| 2025-05-06 | $0.67 | $0.70 | Beat +4% |
| 2025-02-04 | $1.15 | $1.14 | In line |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Archer-Daniels-Midland Company came in ahead of what analysts expected 5 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
More in Consumer Defensive
What are the scenarios for Archer-Daniels-Midland Company?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of Archer-Daniels-Midland Company?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Essential role in the global food supply chain
- Lower price volatility compared to the broader market
- Consistent history of paying dividends to shareholders
- Very thin profit margins leave little room for error
- Highly dependent on unpredictable weather and crop yields
- Limited control over the raw commodity prices they trade
- Geopolitical tensions disrupting international trade routes
- Climate change impacting long-term agricultural productivity
- Regulatory changes affecting food processing standards
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A sustained, significant increase in net profit margins
- A major shift in the company's business model away from raw commodities
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.