Q1 EPS Estimates for CF Industries Raised by Zacks Research

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) – Zacks Research upped their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of CF Industries in a report released on Monday, March 2nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $2.08 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.81. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for CF Industries’ current full-year earnings is $5.83 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for CF Industries’ FY2026 earnings at $7.50 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on CF. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 target price on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group increased their price target on CF Industries from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Bank of America cut their price objective on CF Industries from $83.00 to $78.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on CF Industries from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised CF Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CF Industries presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $96.87.

CF Industries Stock Up 1.9%

CF opened at $106.25 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.81 and a beta of 0.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $89.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $85.83. CF Industries has a twelve month low of $67.34 and a twelve month high of $109.59. The company has a quick ratio of 2.93, a current ratio of 3.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 19.84%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.89 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CF. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of CF Industries by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,368,000 after acquiring an additional 518 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 161.1% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 11,870 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $928,000 after purchasing an additional 7,324 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 14,703 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,149,000 after purchasing an additional 4,252 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of CF Industries by 21.8% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,558 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $278,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of CF Industries by 141.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 3,215 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $311,855.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 87,861 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,522,517. The trade was a 3.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.22%.

Trending Headlines about CF Industries

Here are the key news stories impacting CF Industries this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical supply risk is lifting fertilizer pricing expectations — concerns about seaborne disruptions in the Middle East (a meaningful exporter of urea) are being cited as a catalyst for tighter near?term nitrogen availability and higher benchmark fertilizer prices. CF Industries rises as investors price in tighter global nitrogen supply and higher fertilizer pricing risk
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $120 and kept an Overweight rating, providing a notable institutional endorsement that can attract buy-side flows and supports the rally. Barclays adjusts price target on CF Industries to $120
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other research updates raised near?term EPS estimates and FY forecasts (multiple quarterly upgrades and a higher FY2028 outlook), which reinforces expectations for stronger earnings and cash flow if fertilizer prices remain elevated. CF Industries Benefits From Strong Nitrogen Demand and Higher Prices
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional activity is mixed — several large managers trimmed positions materially in Q4 while others (e.g., Dimensional, Norges Bank) added shares; this creates both selling pressure and pockets of structural demand. Quiver Quant institutional holdings detail
• Neutral Sentiment: Mentions in market roundups (Final Trades) keep the name visible to active traders but contain no new company?specific catalyst. Final Trades: Lockheed Martin, Netflix and CF Industries
• Negative Sentiment: Rising natural?gas costs are pressuring CF’s manufacturing margins — higher feedstock energy costs can offset some revenue gains from stronger fertilizer prices. CF Industries Benefits From Strong Nitrogen Demand and Higher Prices
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and a number of large institutional reductions are visible in recent filings — these disclosures can create near?term selling pressure or signal profit?taking despite the positive macro backdrop. Quiver Quant insider and institutional activity
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains mixed — while some targets were raised, the recent median target sits below the current price, indicating a split view on sustainability of upside. Quiver Quant analyst targets summary

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.