CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Receives $96.87 Average PT from Brokerages

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $101.7333.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of CF Industries from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Scotiabank upped 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. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 price objective on CF Industries in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings raised CF Industries from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on CF Industries from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday.

Key CF Industries News

Here are the key news stories impacting CF Industries this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Middle East supply disruptions (Strait of Hormuz) have tightened global nitrogen/urea flows, lifting prices and benefiting CF as a low‑cost North American producer — a key driver of the strong YTD performance. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Sell‑side bullishness: BMO and Bank of America have published favorable notes and higher targets, reinforcing near‑term upside expectations tied to the fertilizer rally. Read More. | Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Momentum/earnings context: CF has rallied strongly since its last report (+26% in one note), but further gains depend on how persistent fertilizer prices remain versus margins and capex. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro backdrop: hotter PPI could support commodity prices (helpful for fertilizer producers) but also raises input‑cost and rate risks; impact on CF depends on persistent pricing vs. cost pressures. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal risk: reporting of a DOJ probe into fertilizer markets adds uncertainty and could cap valuation expansion even as fundamentals improve. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Broker caution: Mizuho reiterated an “Underperform” with a ~$100 target, signaling some analysts view the rally as stretched and creating downward pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: several executives disclosed sales on March 17 (EVP Bert Frost, VPs including Erik Mayer and Richard Hoker). Multiple filings can be read as profit‑taking and may weigh on near‑term sentiment. Read More.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.00, for a total value of $756,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 69,472 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,753,472. This represents a 7.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Erik M. Mayer sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.69, for a total transaction of $187,035.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 6,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $790,659.29. This trade represents a 19.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 82,408 shares of company stock worth $9,971,298 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CF Industries

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of CF Industries by 24.4% during the second quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 95,289 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $8,767,000 after purchasing an additional 18,666 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 11.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 232,647 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $20,868,000 after purchasing an additional 23,942 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in CF Industries by 878.2% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 17,941 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,609,000 after buying an additional 16,107 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in CF Industries by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 369,321 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,128,000 after buying an additional 61,140 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CF Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $677,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

CF Industries Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of CF stock opened at $124.82 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. CF Industries has a twelve month low of $67.34 and a twelve month high of $137.44. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $100.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.91. The stock has a market cap of $19.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.87 and a beta of 0.68.

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

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.22%.

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.