Berenberg Bank Raises CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Price Target to $69.00

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) had its price objective lifted by investment analysts at Berenberg Bank from $68.00 to $69.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Berenberg Bank’s price target indicates a potential downside of 11.08% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on CF. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $95.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of CF Industries from $98.00 to $97.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 16th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on CF Industries in a report on Friday, March 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $99.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $88.00 price objective (down previously from $96.00) on shares of CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays raised CF Industries from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CF Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $87.94.

CF Industries Price Performance

NYSE CF traded down $0.15 on Wednesday, reaching $77.60. 1,064,692 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,500,709. The stock has a market cap of $14.57 billion, a PE ratio of 9.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.03. CF Industries has a 12 month low of $60.08 and a 12 month high of $87.90. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 3.81 and a quick ratio of 3.44.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The basic materials company reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.12). CF Industries had a return on equity of 18.44% and a net margin of 23.00%. The business had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.51 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.35 EPS. CF Industries’s revenue for the quarter was down 39.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that CF Industries will post 5.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CF Industries news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.00, for a total value of $510,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 64,030 shares in the company, valued at $5,442,550. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blair William & Co. IL raised its stake in CF Industries by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 76,830 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $7,918,000 after purchasing an additional 634 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the first quarter valued at approximately $245,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries in the first quarter worth $232,000. National Pension Service bought a new position in shares of CF Industries during the first quarter worth $27,765,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in CF Industries by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,747,358 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,653,523,000 after acquiring an additional 94,482 shares during the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About CF Industries

CF Industries Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of hydrogen and nitrogen products for energy, fertilizer, emissions abatement, and other industrial activities in North America, Europe, and internationally. It operates through Ammonia, Granular Urea, UAN, AN, and Other segments.