Happy Corn Subsidy Pacific Ethanol: Company Gets Clobbered with High Corn Prices

Talk about a self-inflicted wound! In a second-quarter report for Pacific Ethanol Inc. (Nasdaq:PEIX), the company said it lost to common stockholders of $10.5 million, or 23 cents a share. That's almost double the 12 cents a share loss analysts were looking for.

Taking into account the increase in net sales of $198 million, which is a boost of 74percent, it makes it even worse. During the second quarter last year net sales were $113.8 million.

Of that revenue increase, 52 percent was connected to increased sales, and another 10percent to increasing prices, among other things.

Gallons sold for the quarter reached 66.8 million, up from the 43.9 million gallons sold during the same period in 2007. Ethanol prices averaged $2.55 a gallon, up 23 cents.

Corn prices surged by 67 percent in the second quarter over the prices in the same quarter last year.

For the six-month period ending June 30, net losses came in at $359.5 million, increasing by 69 percent. Last year losses were $213 million net. Sales volume during the six-month perod grew by 52 percent or 126 million gallons, up from the 82.8 million gallons last year. Average ethanol prices for the period came in at $2.43, an increase from the $2.29 last year. Corn prices during the same time were up 64 percent on average.

The corn subsidy effect on prices continues to haunt those in the food industry, even those like Pacific Ethanol who are trying to exploit the taxpayer funded fiasco.