CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and three have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $119.00.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CF. Mizuho lifted their target price on CF Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Freedom Capital raised CF Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Barclays lifted their target price on CF Industries from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Berenberg Bank lifted their target price on CF Industries from $86.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Zacks Research raised CF Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.06, for a total value of $2,454,658.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 55,762 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,586,977.72. This trade represents a 24.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 3,499 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.38, for a total value of $438,704.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 31,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,891,293.68. This trade represents a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 56,690 shares of company stock valued at $7,206,756. 0.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Himension Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. acquired a new position in CF Industries in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew 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 worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Services grew its stake 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. Stance Capital LLC acquired a new position in CF Industries in the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CF Industries in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CF Industries Trading Up 2.8%

NYSE:CF opened at $116.65 on Thursday. CF Industries has a 12 month low of $75.42 and a 12 month high of $141.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.92 billion, a PE ratio of 10.48 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 3.54 and a quick ratio of 3.15. The business’s 50-day moving average is $123.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $102.32.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.63 by $1.35. CF Industries had a return on equity of 20.93% and a net margin of 23.73%.The business had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.85 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that CF Industries will post 15.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.97%.

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.