ADM announced on Tuesday that it has entered into a settlement agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to resolve its investigation into ADM's prior reporting of inter-segment sales, without admitting or denying any wrongdoing. As part of the settlement, ADM agreed to pay a $40 million penalty. According to the SEC, ADM engaged in years of profit-shifting that made its star nutrition segment appear to meet ambitious growth targets, even as demand softened and margins declined.