Q3 EPS Estimates for CF Industries Lifted by Zacks Research

Posted by Stanley Muller on Aug 21st, 2026

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF – Free Report) – Research analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for CF Industries in a research report issued on Wednesday, August 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the basic materials company will post earnings of $4.08 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $3.69. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for CF Industries’ current full-year earnings is $13.85 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for CF Industries’ Q4 2026 earnings at $3.24 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $14.94 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.63 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.82 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $10.73 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $1.95 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $7.06 EPS.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.73 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.63 by ($0.90). The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.45 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 24.41% and a net margin of 27.12%.CF Industries’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.37 earnings per share.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on CF. Freedom Capital upgraded CF Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of CF Industries from $133.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $135.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.56.

View Our Latest Research Report on CF Industries

CF Industries Stock Performance

NYSE:CF opened at $125.68 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 4.86 and a quick ratio of 4.32. CF Industries has a 1 year low of $75.42 and a 1 year high of $141.96. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $115.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $115.57. The company has a market cap of $19.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.32, a PEG ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.39.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This is an increase from CF Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. CF Industries’s payout ratio is currently 17.79%.

Institutional Trading of CF Industries

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the second quarter worth approximately $1,410,607,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,458,907 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $579,062,000 after acquiring an additional 146,682 shares during the period. Boston Partners grew its position in CF Industries by 15.3% in 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 last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in CF Industries by 12.0% in 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 last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in CF Industries by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,287,256 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $302,428,000 after acquiring an additional 11,792 shares during the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting CF Industries

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

Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its Q3 2026 EPS forecast to $4.08 from $3.69, suggesting stronger expected near-term results.
Positive Sentiment: The FY2027 EPS estimate increased to $10.73 from $8.73, while the Q1 2027 forecast rose sharply to $2.63 from $1.49.
Positive Sentiment: Zacks also lifted its Q4 2027 estimate to $2.82 from $2.20, Q1 2028 to $1.95 from $1.83, Q2 2027 to $2.73 from $2.64, and Q3 2027 to $2.54 from $2.40.
Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ FY2026 EPS forecast is now $14.94, still above the broader consensus estimate of $13.85, but the firm’s “Hold” rating indicates limited conviction that the revisions warrant a stronger recommendation.
Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered its FY2026 EPS estimate to $14.94 from $15.56 and cut Q4 2026 EPS to $3.24 from $3.40.
Negative Sentiment: The FY2028 forecast declined to $7.06 from $7.69, while Q2 2028 EPS was reduced to $1.83 from $2.02, pointing to expected earnings moderation over the longer term.

CF Industries Company Profile

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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.