Monsanto Company’s (NYSE:MON) fourth quarter loss narrowed, beating estimates. Loss narrowed to $112 million (loss of 21 cents per diluted share) from $143 million (loss of 26 cents per share) in the same quarter a year earlier. Revenue rose 15.1% to $2.25 billion from the year earlier quarter. MON reported an adjusted net loss of 22 cents per share. By that measure, the company beat the mean analyst estimate of a loss of 27 cents per share. It beat the average revenue estimate of $1.89 billion.

Comment from Monsanto Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Hugh Grant: “As we bring this year to a very successful close and look at what’s to come, it’s clear that we have turned a corner and returned to growth mode. We made a conscious effort to reconnect with our customers, and from that earned significant sales growth for seeds and traits and created positive momentum we carry into 2012. Through the combination of advanced product platforms, a more balanced business and increasingly global opportunities, I believe we have the essential elements in place to achieve mid-teens growth in fiscal year 2012.”

Competitors to Watch: Syngenta AG (NYSE:SYT), The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. (NYSE:SMG), The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW), FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC), The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS), American Vanguard Corp. (NYSE:AVD), Potash (NYSE:POT), CF Industries Hldgs., Inc. (NYSE:CF) and Origin Agritech Ltd. (NASDAQ:SEED).

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) reported its results for the fourth quarter. Net income for the discount store rose to $478 million ($1.08 per share) vs. $432 million (97 cents per share) in the same quarter a year earlier. This marks a rise of 10.6% from the year earlier quarter. Revenue rose 16.8% to $28.18 billion from the year earlier quarter. COST was about in line with expectations as the mean analyst estimate of $1.09 per share. Analysts were expecting revenue of $27.78 billion.

Competitors to Watch: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT), Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT), Dollar General Corp. (NYSE:DG), BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc. (NYSE:BJ), Family Dollar Stores, Inc. (NYSE:FDO), Gordmans Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:GMAN), Dollar Tree, Inc. (NASDAQ:DLTR), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY), Best Buy (NYSE:BBY), Bed, Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ:BBBY), Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Fred’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRED).

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