POSCO International Partners With Bartlett to Boost Grain Business

POSCO’s (PKX) unit, POSCO International, recently signed an agreement to partner with Bartlett and Company to expand grain trading to 4 million tons annually by 2027. The U.S.-based grain company, Bartlett, operates by procuring, distributing and processing grains such as corn, wheat and soybeans, and possesses a strong base in the U.S. domestic market. This is expected to benefit POSCO by strengthening its sourcing and trading processes of U.S. grains. Through this agreement, POSCO aims to diversify its grain types and sourcing regions.

By expanding sourcing beyond North America to include Central and South America and the Black Sea region, POSCO will solidify its position as an importer in South Korea’s grain market. As South Korea relies on imports for at least 16 million tons of grain annually, this step becomes crucial.

POSCO fully entered the agribusiness in 2015 and expanded as much as to handle 5.5 million tons of grain in 2025, supplying about 2 million tons to the domestic market. With plans to increase importing volumes from the United States and secure a global supply chain, POSCO further expands its palm oil operations. It is currently operating a 30,000-hectare plantation in Indonesia while construction of a palm oil refinery with an annual capacity of 500,000 tons is underway, with an expected completion in the second half of 2025. These efforts combined are poised to build a strong foundation to establish an annual food-handling capacity of 10 million tons by 2030.

PKX stock has lost 12.4% over the past year compared with the industry’s 15.3% decline. 

PKX’s Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks 

PKX currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). 

Some other top-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Agnico Eagle MinesLimited AEM, The Mosaic Company MOS and Carpenter Technology Corporation CRS. While AEM and MOS currently sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) each, CRS carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see???the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AEM’s current-year earnings is pegged at $6.86 per share, implying a 62.17% year-over-year surge. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 10.03%. AEM’s shares have gained 74.9% in the past year. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MOS’ 2025 earnings is pegged at $3.17 per share, indicating a rise of 60.10% from year-ago levels. The company’s earnings beat the consensus estimate in one of the trailing four quarters, while missing it in the rest. Its shares have soared 19.8% in the past year. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CRS’ current fiscal-year earnings is pegged at $9.36 per share, indicating a 25.13% year-over-year increase.Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 8.38%. CRS’shares have gained 72.2% in the past year. 

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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