Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM Quick QuoteADM - Free Report) , a leading player in the global food processing industry, released fourth-quarter 2017 results, wherein adjusted earnings of 82 cents per share outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 70 cents and also grew 9.3% from 75 cents per share earned in the year-ago quarter.

Earnings Estimate Revision: The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2017 portrays a downtrend in the last seven days. Further, if we look at Archer Daniels’ performance in the trailing four quarters (excluding the quarter under review), the company’s earnings have underperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 4.1%.

Revenues: Archer Daniels generated net sales of $16,070 million, which declined 2.6% year over year and also missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $16,350 million.

Key Events: Archer Daniels returned $1.5 billion to shareholders in 2017, in the form of share repurchases and dividend payments.

Zacks Rank: Currently, Archer Daniels carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), which is subject to change, based on the just released earnings.

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Check back later for our full write up on Archer Daniels’ earnings report!