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

Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the nineteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $94.80.

CF has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on CF Industries from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of CF Industries in a report on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of CF Industries from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday.

CF Industries Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of CF Industries stock opened at $95.45 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.93, a current ratio of 3.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market cap of $14.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.61 and a beta of 0.70. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $86.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $85.16. CF Industries has a 52-week low of $67.34 and a 52-week high of $105.27.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 19.84%. The company had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. CF Industries’s revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that CF Industries will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Institutional Trading of CF Industries

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 2.1% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,982,072 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $734,351,000 after purchasing an additional 165,833 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in CF Industries by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,013,846 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $449,742,000 after buying an additional 480,126 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in CF Industries by 37.6% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,312,225 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $333,501,000 after buying an additional 1,178,516 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its stake in CF Industries by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,587,999 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $321,852,000 after acquiring an additional 476,769 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in CF Industries by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,570,249 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $276,123,000 after acquiring an additional 381,716 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about CF Industries

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

• Positive Sentiment: RBC Capital raised its price target to $100 and kept a “sector perform” rating, suggesting modest upside and supporting the idea the shares still have room to move higher. RBC price-target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple short-form reports from AmericanBankingNews note higher analyst targets (including raises to $113 and $115), which could buoy sentiment if investors focus on those more bullish estimates. Price target $113 Price target $115
• Positive Sentiment: Rep. Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. bought CF shares, a small insider/insider-affiliated purchase that can be read as a vote of confidence by some investors. Insider purchase
• Neutral Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane lifted its target to $95 and maintained a “neutral” rating, essentially keeping expectations flat versus the current price and contributing to the market’s tonal ambiguity. BNP Paribas note
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reiterated a “hold,” leaving CF in a watchful category rather than a buy/strong-buy, which dampens conviction among some funds. Goldman Sachs hold
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its target to $85 but kept a “sector perform” rating — that target is materially below the current price and signals downside risk if the market focuses on more conservative estimates. Scotiabank note
• Negative Sentiment: Two recent Seeking Alpha pieces emphasize valuation concerns and volatility tied to nitrogen fertilizer and natural gas prices, plus geopolitical policy risks (China export controls, Indian subsidies) — these macro/commodity uncertainties make CF’s earnings and multiples harder to forecast and likely weigh on the stock. Fertilizer politics analysis Valuation disconnect
• Negative Sentiment: One AmericanBankingNews note raised a lower $94 target, reflecting the split among sources and adding to investor hesitation. Price target $94

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.