CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $138.13 and last traded at $140.6150, with a volume of 73859 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $136.45.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on CF shares. Mizuho reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $100.00 price target (up from $95.00) on shares of CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce boosted their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Weiss Ratings raised CF Industries from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. UBS Group lifted their price target on CF Industries from $97.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on CF Industries from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CF Industries has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $104.60.

CF Industries Price Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $104.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $90.49. The stock has a market cap of $21.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.41 and a beta of 0.68. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results 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. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 19.84%. The company had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.89 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.22%.

Insider Activity at CF Industries

In related news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.06, for a total transaction of $2,454,658.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 55,762 shares in the company, valued at $7,586,977.72. This trade represents a 24.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 transaction of $427,089.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,161 shares in the company, valued at $2,232,256.50. The trade was a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 82,408 shares of company stock valued at $9,971,298. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of CF Industries by 396.2% during the third 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 last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of CF Industries during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Peterson Wealth Services boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 451.3% in the third quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares during 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.