CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the nineteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have assigned a hold recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $114.20.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on shares of CF Industries from $95.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce upped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of CF Industries from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on CF Industries from $103.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Zacks Research cut CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th.

CF Industries Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of NYSE CF opened at $118.94 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $18.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.22 and a beta of 0.52. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $113.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $93.91. CF Industries has a 52 week low of $72.09 and a 52 week high of $141.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a current ratio of 3.37.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion for 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%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that CF Industries will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. CF Industries’s payout ratio is 22.22%.

Insider Activity

In other CF Industries news, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of the 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,161 shares in the company, valued at $2,232,256.50. This trade represents a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 55,762 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,586,977.72. This represents a 24.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 82,408 shares of company stock valued at $9,971,298. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of CF Industries by 396.2% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 387 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Peterson Wealth Services boosted its stake in CF Industries by 451.3% during the 3rd quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the period. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in CF Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 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.