CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Stock Price Up 5.3% on Analyst Upgrade

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)’s share price was up 5.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on the stock from $100.00 to $125.00. Royal Bank Of Canada currently has a sector perform rating on the stock. CF Industries traded as high as $139.45 and last traded at $137.9810. Approximately 1,031,443 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 4,121,893 shares. The stock had previously closed at $130.98.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 price target on CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce lifted their price target on CF Industries from $100.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Mizuho lifted their price target on CF Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded CF Industries from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered CF Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, December 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $109.60.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In related news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.00, for a total value of $756,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 69,472 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,753,472. The trade was a 7.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.50, for a total value of $427,089.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,161 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,232,256.50. This trade represents a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 82,408 shares of company stock worth $9,971,298. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CF Industries

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CF. World Investment Advisors acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $219,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 23.7% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 26,623 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,059,000 after buying an additional 5,100 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 18,480.0% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 929 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 924 shares during the last quarter. MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $101,000. Finally, SG Trading Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,440,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CF Industries Trading Up 5.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $21.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.36 and a beta of 0.52. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $109.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.44. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.06. CF Industries had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.The company had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.78 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.89 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

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

CF Industries Company Profile

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.