Mizuho Reiterates Underperform Rating for CF Industries (NYSE:CF)

CF Industries (NYSE:CF)‘s stock had its “underperform” rating restated by stock analysts at Mizuho in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $100.00 price objective on the basic materials company’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $95.00. Mizuho’s price target points to a potential downside of 18.90% from the stock’s previous close.

CF has been the subject of several other research reports. Zacks Research lowered shares of CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of CF Industries from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $103.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a report on Friday, February 20th. One 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CF Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.40.

CF Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CF opened at $123.30 on Wednesday. CF Industries has a 1 year low of $67.34 and a 1 year high of $137.44. The firm has a market cap of $18.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.70 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $97.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $88.12. 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 announced 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 business had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.The company’s revenue was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that CF Industries will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other CF Industries news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.06, for a total transaction of $2,454,658.46. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 55,762 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,586,977.72. The trade was a 24.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 6,184 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.33, for a total transaction of $676,096.72. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 34,535 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,775,711.55. This trade represents a 15.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 71,409 shares of company stock worth $8,589,559. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CF. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 78.0% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 292 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 396.2% in 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 bought a new stake in CF Industries during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in CF Industries by 46.3% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Peterson Wealth Services grew its holdings in CF Industries by 451.3% during the third 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 last quarter. 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.