CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $120.13, but opened at $128.02. CF Industries shares last traded at $132.6030, with a volume of 3,237,700 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of CF Industries in a report on Monday, December 29th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on CF Industries from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on CF Industries from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CF Industries has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $96.87.

CF Industries Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $21.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.22 and a beta of 0.68. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $93.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $86.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 3.37 and a quick ratio of 2.93.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. CF Industries had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.The business had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.78 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 6,184 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.33, for a total value of $676,096.72. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 34,535 shares in the company, valued at $3,775,711.55. This trade represents a 15.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.01, for a total transaction of $1,190,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 87,256 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,384,336.56. The trade was a 10.28% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 47,118 shares of company stock valued at $5,280,588 in the last three months. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of CF Industries

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 78.0% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 292 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 396.2% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 387 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares during the period. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in CF Industries by 46.3% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Peterson Wealth Services raised its position in CF Industries by 451.3% in the third quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

About CF Industries

CF Industries Holdings, Inc is a leading global manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products for agricultural and industrial customers. The company specializes in the production of ammonia, granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), nitric acid and ammonium nitrate, which serve as key inputs for fertilizer blends, industrial chemicals and other downstream applications.

Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, CF Industries operates production facilities and distribution terminals across North America and the United Kingdom.