CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Price Target Raised to $135.00 at Morgan Stanley

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) had its price objective lifted by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $135.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price indicates a potential upside of 1.09% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on CF Industries from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of CF Industries from $86.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. 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. Barclays upped their target price on CF Industries from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $97.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $112.27.

CF Industries Trading Up 2.0%

NYSE:CF opened at $133.55 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.84 and a beta of 0.52. CF Industries has a 52 week low of $67.34 and a 52 week high of $141.96. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $110.38 and a 200 day moving average of $92.78.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.06. CF Industries had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.The business had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that CF Industries will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.00, for a total transaction of $756,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 69,472 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,753,472. This represents a 7.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 82,408 shares of company stock valued at $9,971,298. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CF Industries

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CF. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 4th quarter valued at about $193,657,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in CF Industries by 37.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,312,225 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $333,501,000 after acquiring an additional 1,178,516 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CF Industries during the second quarter worth $96,560,000. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec increased its stake in CF Industries by 52.4% during the third quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 1,775,106 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $159,227,000 after acquiring an additional 610,259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its position in CF Industries by 115.1% in the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,019,926 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $78,881,000 after purchasing an additional 545,668 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.