How Seed Giant Monsanto Went from 2009 Company of the Year to Worst Stock of 2010

How Seed Giant Monsanto Went from 2009 Company of the Year to Worst Stock of 2010

Last week, the company earned a different accolade from Jim Cramer, the television stock market commentator. ‘This may be the worst stock of 2010,’ he proclaimed.” Forced to slash prices on underperforming products—specifically, new soybean and corn seeds—the world’s largest seed company has seen its stock diminish in value by almost half since the beginning of the year.

For Monsanto, last winter was not all antitrust investigations and struggling business models: the aforementioned “Company of the Year” piece was published in December. However, it was just ten months later, in September, that Forbes suggested the flattering article was “the kiss of death for the stock.” The magazine reported, “Problems that have emerged since our story include growing news of weeds that are resistant to the company’s popular weed killer Roundup. The company’s most important product is bio-engineered soybean and corn seeds that are resistant to this weed killer. This has led to widespread use of the herbicide—and now resistant super weeds.”