Agrium Inc. announced that it expects to earn between $2.80 to $3.00 diluted earnings per share in the second quarter of 2008, which translates to $4.03 to $4.23 for the H1 2008. The increase from the previous guidance of $1.92 to $2.22 diluted earnings per share for the second quarter is due to strong results from both Retail and Wholesale operations, with Retail expected to account for half of the increase. According to Reuters Estimates, analysts were expecting the Company to report EPS of $2.52 for Q2 2008. The significant boost in earnings guidance from Agrium is causing its stock to break to new 52-week highs.