CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Price Target Raised to $115.00

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) had its price target increased by Scotiabank from $85.00 to $115.00 in a research report report published on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. Scotiabank currently has a sector perform rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on CF. Weiss Ratings raised shares of CF Industries from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on shares of CF Industries from $95.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of CF Industries from $86.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.87.

CF Industries Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE CF opened at $122.41 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.81 billion, a PE ratio of 13.60 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. CF Industries has a 1 year low of $74.79 and a 1 year high of $141.96. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $116.25 and its 200-day moving average is $95.14.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last issued 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 company had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 19.84%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. Equities analysts expect that CF Industries will post 9.95 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. CF Industries’s payout ratio is 22.22%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.01, for a total transaction of $1,190,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 87,256 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,384,336.56. This represents a 10.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 6,184 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the vice president owned 34,535 shares in the company, valued at $3,775,711.55. This trade represents a 15.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 82,408 shares of company stock valued at $9,971,298 over the last 90 days. 0.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of CF Industries

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in CF Industries by 78.0% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 292 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in CF Industries by 396.2% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 387 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the period. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in CF Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Peterson Wealth Services raised its holdings in CF Industries by 451.3% during the 3rd quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the period. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in CF Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently 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.