CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Stock Price Down 3.4% – What’s Next?

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)’s share price traded down 3.4% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $133.40 and last traded at $132.8920. 1,246,946 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 4,074,098 shares. The stock had previously closed at $137.60.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CF has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $103.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of CF Industries from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of CF Industries from $97.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Zacks Research cut shares of CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CF Industries currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $104.93.

CF Industries Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average is $105.63 and its 200-day moving average is $90.86. The company has a current ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.68 billion, a PE ratio of 14.20 and a beta of 0.68.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last announced its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is 22.22%.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In related news, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 19,161 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,232,256.50. The trade was a 16.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 55,762 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,586,977.72. The trade was a 24.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 82,408 shares of company stock valued at $9,971,298. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 23,942 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in CF Industries by 878.2% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 17,941 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,609,000 after acquiring an additional 16,107 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 19.8% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 369,321 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,128,000 after acquiring an additional 61,140 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CF Industries in the third quarter valued at $677,000. Finally, AIA Group Ltd acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 3rd quarter worth $376,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

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.