Company Description
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is a global agricultural supply chain manager and processor that focuses on unlocking the power of nature to enrich the quality of life. Traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ADM, the company operates in the manufacturing sector and is associated with flour milling and other processing activities involving agricultural commodities. ADM positions itself as an essential link in global food security by connecting local needs with global capabilities, and by managing and processing crops and other inputs from harvest through to end-use applications.
According to company statements, ADM is an essential global agricultural supply chain manager and processor, helping provide food security by aligning production, logistics and processing with demand in multiple regions. The firm emphasizes its role in meeting critical needs "from harvest to home," highlighting its involvement across the value chain rather than at a single stage. This includes handling, processing and transforming agricultural inputs into ingredients and solutions for human and animal use, as well as for broader bio-based applications.
ADM also describes itself as a premier human and animal nutrition provider, offering what it calls one of the industry’s broadest portfolios of ingredients and solutions derived from nature. Within its Nutrition segment, the company identifies human nutrition and animal nutrition subsegments. Human Nutrition includes areas such as flavors and health and wellness, while Animal Nutrition focuses on animal feed and related nutritional products. The company’s disclosures indicate that its Nutrition segment aims to focus on higher-growth and higher-margin specialty animal nutrition ingredients, and ADM has outlined a strategy to transition its animal nutrition business in that direction.
In addition to nutrition, ADM highlights a significant focus on health and well-being, describing itself as a trailblazer with an industry-leading range of products for consumers seeking new ways to live healthier lives. This positioning reflects the company’s emphasis on ingredients and solutions that support health-oriented consumer preferences, as well as its investment in research and development within its Nutrition segment. ADM notes that it plans to continue investing in R&D activities to bring new solutions to customers, particularly in higher-value growth areas.
The company also emphasizes its role as an innovator in bio-based consumer and industrial solutions. ADM states that it is guiding the way toward a future of new bio-based solutions, and it highlights business-driven sustainability efforts that support a strong agricultural sector, resilient supply chains and a growing bioeconomy. This includes initiatives and partnerships focused on sustainable molecule production and industrial carbon management, such as its collaboration with OCOchem to convert biogenic CO2 from ethanol production into formate molecules for consumer and industrial applications.
ADM’s operations are organized into several segments that reflect the breadth of its activities in agricultural processing and nutrition. In its financial reporting, the company identifies Ag Services & Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions and Nutrition as key segments. The Ag Services & Oilseeds segment includes subsegments such as Ag Services, Crushing, Refined Products and Other, and equity earnings from investments like Wilmar. The Carbohydrate Solutions segment includes Starches and Sweeteners and Vantage Corn Processors, while the Nutrition segment is divided into Human Nutrition and Animal Nutrition.
Within Ag Services & Oilseeds, ADM reports activities related to agricultural services, oilseed crushing, refined products and related operations. The company’s disclosures show that this segment’s performance is influenced by factors such as export activity, biofuel policy, international trade flows, and margins in biodiesel and refining. ADM notes that it manages its asset network and inventory to support cash flow and to navigate changes in demand and policy, reflecting the operational complexity of this part of its business.
The Carbohydrate Solutions segment focuses on starches, sweeteners and corn processing activities. ADM reports that this segment’s results are affected by global demand for starches and sweeteners, corn costs, and wheat milling margins and volumes. The Vantage Corn Processors subsegment benefits from conditions such as export flows and industry inventory levels, which can support pricing. These activities align with ADM’s broader role as a processor of corn and other agricultural commodities, as reflected in the Polygon description that identifies ADM as a major processor of oilseeds, corn, wheat and other agricultural commodities and a producer of corn-based sweeteners, starches and ethanol.
In its Nutrition segment, ADM highlights both human and animal nutrition. Human Nutrition includes flavors and health and wellness, with company disclosures noting contributions from higher margins in flavors, particularly in North America, and increased demand in biotics within health and wellness. Animal Nutrition focuses on product lines where the company seeks improved margins through portfolio streamlining and cost optimization. ADM has also announced a definitive agreement to form a North American animal feed joint venture with Alltech, under which ADM will contribute U.S. complete feed mills while retaining its specialty ingredients supply role. This joint venture is described as part of ADM’s strategy to deconsolidate its complete feed business and concentrate on higher-value specialty animal nutrition ingredients.
ADM’s role in global grain merchandising and logistics is also reflected in the Polygon description, which notes that the company is one of the largest grain merchandisers through an extensive network of logistical assets used to store and transport crops around the globe. This logistical capability supports its position as an essential agricultural supply chain manager and processor, enabling the company to connect local production with global demand and to support food security objectives.
The company underscores its business-driven sustainability efforts, stating that it supports a strong agricultural sector, resilient supply chains and a growing bioeconomy. ADM’s collaboration with partners such as OCOchem to convert captured CO2 into carbon-negative molecules is presented as part of its strategy to lead in industrial carbon management and sustainable molecule production. These efforts are intended to support lower-carbon supply chains and unlock new value across bio-based economies.
ADM’s common stock is registered under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ADM, as indicated in its SEC filings. The company has also issued debt securities, such as 1.000% notes due 2025, which are listed on the NYSE. A Form 25 filing shows the removal from listing and/or registration of the 1.000% notes due 2025, indicating a change related to that specific class of securities, while the common stock remains listed.
Company communications also highlight ADM’s dividend history. ADM reports a long record of consecutive quarterly dividend payments on its common stock, spanning more than nine decades. This history is presented as part of the company’s narrative to investors, alongside regular announcements of quarterly dividends and scheduled earnings webcasts where management discusses financial results and provides company updates.
Overall, ADM presents itself as a global agricultural processor and nutrition company with integrated operations across agricultural services, oilseeds, carbohydrates and nutrition. Its stated focus on food security, health and well-being, bio-based solutions and sustainability, combined with its segment structure and supply chain capabilities, defines the core of the ADM stock story for investors and market observers.