CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Freedom Capital

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) was upgraded by investment analysts at Freedom Capital from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

CF has been the topic of a number of other reports. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of CF Industries from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 target price on shares of CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of CF Industries from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of CF Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CF Industries has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $118.47.

CF Industries Price Performance

CF opened at $127.83 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.15, a current ratio of 3.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. CF Industries has a 52-week low of $75.42 and a 52-week high of $141.96. The company has a 50 day moving average of $124.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $99.66. The company has a market cap of $19.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.49 and a beta of 0.42.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $1.35. CF Industries had a net margin of 23.73% and a return on equity of 20.93%. The company had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. CF Industries’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that CF Industries will post 15.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at CF Industries

In related news, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 6,184 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.33, for a total value of $676,096.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 34,535 shares in the company, valued at $3,775,711.55. This represents a 15.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.01, for a total transaction of $1,190,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 87,256 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,384,336.56. This represents a 10.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 82,408 shares of company stock worth $9,971,298. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CF Industries

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Himension Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. acquired a new stake in CF Industries in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 46.3% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Services lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 451.3% in the 3rd 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. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in CF Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Stance Capital LLC purchased a new stake in CF Industries during the third quarter valued at about $42,000. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.