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Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)
NYSE:ADM

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) AI Stock Analysis

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ADM

Archer Daniels Midland

(NYSE:ADM)

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Neutral 66 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:66Neutral
Price Target:
$76.00
▲(5.38% Upside)
Action:ReiteratedDate:03/12/26
ADM scores as moderately attractive: strong 2025 cash generation and improved leverage provide resilience, and the chart trend is positive. The score is held back by the sharp multi-year drop in earnings/margins and a relatively high P/E for a business facing ongoing segment headwinds and policy-driven uncertainty, despite management guiding to EPS improvement in 2026 and pursuing cost savings.
Positive Factors
Strong cash generation
Material free cash flow in 2025 provides durable internal funding for operations, capex and shareholder returns. Strong cash conversion in a cyclical agribusiness supports resilience through commodity cycles, enabling debt paydown and strategic investments without relying on external financing.
Improved leverage and balance sheet
Lower gross debt and improved debt-to-equity strengthen financial flexibility and reduce refinancing risk. A healthier balance sheet supports multi-year capex plans, dividend continuity, and the ability to absorb cyclical earnings volatility while pursuing strategic initiatives.
Scale, disciplined capital returns and capex plan
A long track record of dividend continuity plus explicit capex guidance signals disciplined capital allocation. Scale across origination, processing and ingredients combined with planned investments supports long-term growth in higher-margin nutrition and decarbonization platforms.
Negative Factors
Material earnings and margin deterioration
Multi-year decline in net income and compressed margins indicate structural pressure on profitability. Lower returns reduce internal ability to fund growth and weaken ROE, meaning management must restore margins or face prolonged lower value creation despite healthy cash flow.
Persistent segment-level weakness (crushing, AS&O, carbs)
Severe declines in crushing and trade/logistics profits hit core revenue pools. Because oilseeds and carbohydrate processing are large, sustained weakness there materially reduces overall earnings stability and limits upside from higher-margin nutrition segments until commodity spreads recover.
Dependence on external biofuel policy timing
Significant reliance on regulatory clarity (RVO/RINs) makes recovery timing uncertain. Policy-driven demand swings for ethanol and renewable diesel feedstocks create outsized sensitivity in margins, complicating multi-quarter planning and reducing visibility into near-to-medium-term earnings.

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Archer Daniels Midland Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionArcher-Daniels-Midland Company procures, transports, stores, processes, and merchandises agricultural commodities, products, and ingredients in the United States, Switzerland, Cayman Islands, Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, and Nutrition. It procures, stores, cleans, and transports agricultural raw materials, such as oilseeds, corn, wheat, milo, oats, and barley. The company also engages in the agricultural commodity and feed product import, export, and distribution; and structured trade finance activities. In addition, it offers vegetable oils and protein meals; ingredients for the food, feed, energy, and industrial customers; crude vegetable oils, salad oils, margarine, shortening, and other food products; and partially refined oils to produce biodiesel and glycols for use in chemicals, paints, and other industrial products. Further, the company provides peanuts, peanut-derived ingredients, and cotton cellulose pulp; sweeteners, corn and wheat starches, syrup, glucose, wheat flour, and dextrose; alcohol and other food and animal feed ingredients; ethyl alcohol and ethanol; corn gluten feed and meal; distillers' grains; and citric acids. Additionally, the company provides natural flavors, flavor systems, natural colors, proteins, emulsifiers, soluble fiber, polyols, hydrocolloids, and natural health and nutrition products, including probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, and botanical extracts; and other specialty food and feed ingredients; edible beans; formula feeds, and animal health and nutrition products; and contract and private label pet treats and foods. It also offers futures commission merchant; commodity brokerage services; cash margins and securities pledged to commodity exchange clearinghouses; and cash pledged as security under certain insurance arrangements. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
How the Company Makes MoneyADM makes money primarily by buying crops and other agricultural inputs, processing them into higher-value products, and selling those products to food manufacturers, animal feed producers, industrial customers, and fuel markets, while also earning revenues from logistics and merchandising activities. Key revenue streams include: (1) Agricultural origination, merchandising, and logistics: ADM sources grains and oilseeds from farmers and commercial elevators, stores them, and moves them via its global transportation and export network. It sells these commodities to domestic and international buyers and earns margins driven by commodity merchandising, handling, storage, freight/logistics services, and price risk management activities tied to global supply-demand and arbitrage opportunities. (2) Oilseeds and related products: ADM crushes soybeans, canola/rapeseed, sunflower seed, and other oilseeds to produce vegetable oils and protein meals. Revenues come from selling oils (for food and industrial uses such as biodiesel/renewable diesel feedstocks, subject to market conditions) and meals (primarily for livestock and aquaculture feed), with profitability influenced by crush spreads (the relationship between input seed costs and output oil/meal prices). (3) Carbohydrate solutions: ADM processes corn and other grains into products such as sweeteners, starches, syrups, and ethanol. Revenues are generated by selling these ingredients into food and beverage, paper/packaging, and other industrial end markets, as well as selling ethanol and related co-products (e.g., distillers grains used for animal feed), with margins affected by the spread between grain input costs and prices of ethanol and co-products. (4) Nutrition and specialty ingredients: ADM sells higher-value ingredients and solutions used by food, beverage, and animal nutrition customers, including proteins, flavors, emulsifiers, and other specialty ingredient systems, typically earning revenue through ingredient sales and, where applicable, formulation and value-added solution offerings. Across these activities, ADM’s earnings are influenced by commodity price volatility, global trade flows, energy and biofuel demand, processing capacity utilization, and its ability to manage risk through hedging and integrated merchandising and logistics capabilities.

Archer Daniels Midland Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Any
Any
Revenue by Segment
Revenue by Segment
Chart Insights
Data provided by:The Fly

Archer Daniels Midland Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Dec 31, 2025
(Q4-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Apr 28, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Neutral
The call presented a balanced picture: management highlighted meaningful operational achievements (inventory reduction, cost-savings projects, JV launch, decarbonization progress), strong pockets of upside in ethanol/VCP and nutrition recovery, disciplined capital returns and a constructive multi-year growth strategy. Offsetting these positives were material declines in crushing and AS&O profits, continuing softness in starches and sweeteners, increased corporate charges, and dependence on external policy timing (RVO/RINs) for a meaningful near-term recovery. Given the comparable weight of strategic/operational positives and sizable near-term financial headwinds and uncertainty, the overall tone is cautious but constructive.
Q4-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Earnings and Profitability Metrics
Fourth quarter adjusted EPS of $0.87 and full-year adjusted EPS of $3.43. Total segment operating profit was $821 million for Q4 and $3.2 billion for the full year. Trailing fourth quarter adjusted ROIC was 6.3%.
Strong Cash Generation and Working Capital Improvement
Cash flow from operations before working capital changes of $2.7 billion for 2025 and a realized $1.5 billion cash flow benefit from inventory reduction due to improved inventory management.
Operational and Safety Achievements
Restored operations at Decatur East, reduced unplanned downtime, and achieved the lowest injury rate in company history (safety milestone).
Portfolio Optimization and Cost Savings
Executed more than 20 portfolio optimization and simplification projects, achieving approximately $200 million of cost savings and commencing operations of the joint venture with Altek.
Decarbonization and Infrastructure Progress
Connected Columbus, Nebraska corn milling plant to the Tallgrass dryblazer pipeline, extending carbon capture and storage infrastructure beyond Decatur operations (important decarbonization milestone).
Ethanol/ Vantage Corn Performance
Vantage Corn Processors subsegment operating profit improved sharply: Q4 operating profit $43 million, up 187% year-over-year, and ethanol EBITDA margins per gallon were approximately 33% higher versus the prior year quarter.
Nutrition Business Momentum and Recovery
Nutrition revenues were stable at $1.8 billion in Q4 (flat YoY). Human nutrition showed underlying growth led by flavors and specialty ingredient recovery; full-year Animal Nutrition operating profit grew 66% year-over-year to $98 million.
Capital Discipline and Shareholder Returns
Invested $1.2 billion in capex in 2025, returned $987 million in dividends (including the 376th consecutive quarterly dividend), and maintained leverage ratio of 1.9x at year-end in line with targets.
Clear 2026 Growth Plan and Guidance
Provided 2026 adjusted EPS outlook of $3.60 to $4.25 (reflects growth over 2025), outlined five growth platforms (enhanced nutrition, biotics, biosolutions, precision fermentation, decarbonization), and reiterated cost savings target of $500–$750 million over 3–5 years.
Negative Updates
AS & O Segment Weakness
AS & O segment operating profit for Q4 was $444 million, down 31% year-over-year; full-year AS & O operating profit was $1.6 billion, down 34% versus 2024, driven by lower export activity and negative timing impacts.
Severe Crushing Profit Decline
Crushing subsegment operating profit for Q4 was $66 million, down 69% year-over-year; full-year crushing operating profit decreased 81% versus 2024, primarily due to significantly weaker crush margins and reduced insurance proceeds.
Carbohydrate Solutions Softness
Carbohydrate Solutions segment operating profit was $299 million in Q4, down 6% YoY, and $1.2 billion for the year, down 12% YoY. Starches & sweeteners operating profit fell $256 million in Q4, down 16% YoY, and down 21% for the year.
Nutrition Segment Profit Pressures (Quarterly)
Nutrition segment operating profit was $178 million in Q4, down 11% versus prior year quarter. Human Nutrition operating profit declined ~10% in the quarter, with insurance proceeds in 2024 partially masking underlying comparability.
Reduced Insurance Proceeds Impacting Comparability
Numerous results were affected by reduced insurance proceeds versus 2024 (e.g., approximately $33 million reduced insurance proceeds related to Decatur East/West in Carb Solutions Q4 and ~$44 million reduced insurance proceeds year-over-year in crushing), worsening year-over-year comparisons.
Corporate Costs and Non-Operating Charges Increased
Corporate and other business costs increased approximately 25% in the quarter and ~19% for the full year versus 2024, driven by higher revaluation losses including impairment, contingency, and restructuring charges (partially offset by lower interest expense and higher other income).
Weaker Cash Flow vs. Prior Year
Cash flow from operations before working capital was ~ $2.7 billion for 2025, down $600 million relative to 2024, reflecting lower total segment operating profit despite inventory improvements.
Consumer Demand Headwinds for Starches & Sweeteners
Management cited continued softness in starches and sweeteners driven by consumer buying trends, GLP-1 related shifts, pricing sensitivity and persistent high corn costs in some regions; management estimated liquid sweeteners volumes were down roughly 5–7%.
Guidance Uncertainty Centered on Policy Timing
2026 guidance is wide ($3.60–$4.25 EPS) and highly dependent on external factors (timing/size of the U.S. RVO, RINs, biofuel policy clarity and adoption), creating material timing risk for expected upside in crush and biofuels businesses.
Company Guidance
ADM's 2026 guidance calls for adjusted EPS of $3.60–$4.25 (up from $3.43 in 2025), assumes Carbohydrate Solutions segment operating profit roughly flat with crush margins similar to 2025, and expects continued nutrition growth; management reiterated it will invest $1.3–$1.5 billion of capex in 2026, target an aggregate $500–$750 million of cost savings over 3–5 years, and carry an expected effective tax rate of 18–20%, while maintaining disciplined capital allocation (leverage ~2x, 1.9x at 12/31/2025); 2025 context included total segment operating profit of $3.2 billion, Q4 segment OP $821 million, trailing Q4 adjusted ROIC of 6.3%, cash flow from operations before working capital of ~$2.7 billion, a $1.5 billion inventory-reduction cash benefit, and $987 million returned to shareholders in dividends (376th consecutive quarterly dividend).

Archer Daniels Midland Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Cash flow is a clear strength (2025 operating cash flow $5.45B; free cash flow $4.20B) and leverage improved with debt down to $8.41B in 2025. Offsetting this, profitability and margins have weakened materially since 2022 (net income down to $1.08B in 2025) with multiple years of revenue decline, reducing earnings stability.
Income Statement
56
Neutral
Profitability has weakened materially over the last three annual periods: net income fell from $4.34B (2022) to $1.08B (2025) and margins compressed (net margin ~4.3% in 2022 vs. ~1.3% in 2025). Revenue has also declined for three straight years (2023–2025), following strong growth in 2021–2022. The business remains profitable, but the trajectory shows meaningful cyclical/price-pressure headwinds and less earnings stability versus prior peaks.
Balance Sheet
67
Positive
Leverage looks manageable and improving: total debt declined to $8.41B in 2025 from $11.54B in 2024, and debt relative to equity improved to ~0.37 in 2025 (from ~0.52 in 2024). Equity is steady around $22–24B, supporting balance-sheet resilience. The main watch-out is reduced profitability translating into a lower return on equity (~4.7% in 2025 vs. ~14–18% in 2022–2023), which can limit value creation if the downcycle persists.
Cash Flow
72
Positive
Cash generation strengthened in 2025 with operating cash flow of $5.45B and free cash flow of $4.20B, a sharp improvement versus 2024 ($2.79B and $1.23B, respectively). Free cash flow remains solid relative to earnings in most years (e.g., ~0.77x of net income in 2025), supporting flexibility for debt reduction and shareholder returns. Weaknesses include volatility across the cycle (negative operating and free cash flow in 2020) and a free-cash-flow decline in 2025 versus 2024 (about -10.6%).
BreakdownDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue80.27B85.53B93.94B101.56B85.25B
Gross Profit5.03B5.78B7.51B7.57B5.99B
EBITDA3.05B4.10B6.00B6.66B4.57B
Net Income1.08B1.80B3.48B4.34B2.71B
Balance Sheet
Total Assets34.66B53.27B54.63B59.77B56.14B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments1.05B857.00M1.37B1.04B943.00M
Total Debt8.41B11.54B9.60B10.29B10.58B
Total Liabilities11.63B30.84B30.17B35.16B33.37B
Stockholders Equity22.73B22.17B24.13B24.28B22.48B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow4.20B1.23B2.97B2.16B5.43B
Operating Cash Flow5.45B2.79B4.46B3.48B6.59B
Investing Cash Flow-1.02B-2.70B-1.50B-1.40B-2.67B
Financing Cash Flow-2.89B-1.53B-4.60B-2.50B-1.12B

Archer Daniels Midland Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price72.12
Price Trends
50DMA
66.81
Positive
100DMA
62.65
Positive
200DMA
59.42
Positive
Market Momentum
MACD
1.35
Negative
RSI
64.09
Neutral
STOCH
74.41
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For ADM, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 72.12 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 68.91, above the 50-day MA of 66.81, and above the 200-day MA of 59.42, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 1.35 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 64.09 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 74.41 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for ADM.

Archer Daniels Midland Risk Analysis

Archer Daniels Midland disclosed 24 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Archer Daniels Midland reported the most risks in the "Macro & Political" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 3 New Risks
1.
The Company is subject to various technical, legal, and opportunistic-related risks relating to use of artificial intelligence and other emerging digital technologies. Q4, 2025
2.
The Company is subject to various evolving regulations related to ESG matters which impacts the Company's business and strategies, and could adversely affect its reputation, business and results of operations. Q4, 2025
3.
The Company is involved in a number of legal proceedings that may result in adverse outcomes. Q4, 2025

Archer Daniels Midland Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (62)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
86
Outperform
$4.13B9.7344.65%10.53%65.80%197.95%
77
Outperform
$9.29B9.274.44%
70
Outperform
$1.96B18.924.53%3.34%1.11%414.23%
66
Neutral
$34.70B25.814.80%3.55%-4.31%-29.96%
64
Neutral
$24.37B18.125.98%3.14%10.29%17.32%
63
Neutral
$21.42B59.421.10%3.48%2.12%-40.75%
62
Neutral
$20.33B14.63-3.31%3.23%1.93%-12.26%
* Consumer Defensive Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
ADM
Archer Daniels Midland
72.12
26.79
59.10%
BG
Bunge Global
125.96
52.97
72.58%
CALM
Cal-Maine Foods
86.62
4.37
5.31%
FDP
Fresh Del Monte Produce
41.37
12.13
41.50%
TSN
Tyson Foods
62.07
3.36
5.72%
SFD
Smithfield Foods
23.64
4.74
25.08%

Archer Daniels Midland Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board Changes
ADM Expands Board, Appoints Michael McMurray Director
Positive
Mar 11, 2026

On March 9, 2026, Archer-Daniels-Midland increased its board size from 12 to 13 directors and elected former LyondellBasell executive vice president and CFO Michael C. McMurray as an independent director, effective immediately. He will serve until the next annual meeting and has been appointed to the Audit Committee and the Sustainability and Technology Committee, with compensation aligned to other non-employee directors.

ADM highlighted the move as part of its ongoing board refreshment strategy, emphasizing McMurray’s three decades of financial, strategic and industrial operations experience at LyondellBasell, Owens Corning and Royal Dutch Shell as well as his international business background. The appointment is intended to strengthen ADM’s governance, financial oversight and support for its growth and sustainability agenda, reinforcing its positioning as a leading player in global nutrition, agricultural supply chains and bio-based innovation.

The most recent analyst rating on (ADM) stock is a Hold with a $68.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Archer Daniels Midland stock, see the ADM Stock Forecast page.

Financial DisclosuresLegal ProceedingsRegulatory Filings and Compliance
ADM Settles SEC Case and DOJ Closes Probe
Neutral
Jan 28, 2026

On January 27, 2026, ADM announced it had reached a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over its prior reporting of intersegment sales, agreeing to pay a $40 million civil penalty without admitting or denying wrongdoing, while stating the payment is not expected to materially affect its financial position. The Department of Justice has closed its related investigation with no further action, ending federal probes into ADM’s segment reporting practices; the company highlighted that earlier identified errors were limited to segment-level reporting with no impact on consolidated financial statements, and noted it has since restated relevant filings and made significant changes to its financial leadership and internal controls to strengthen financial reporting accuracy and transparency.

The most recent analyst rating on (ADM) stock is a Hold with a $61.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Archer Daniels Midland stock, see the ADM Stock Forecast page.

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Mar 12, 2026