CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the sixteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $85.00.

Several equities analysts recently commented on CF shares. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on CF Industries from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $86.00 to $80.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 6th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $88.00 price target (down previously from $96.00) on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their target price on CF Industries from $82.00 to $75.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 28.1% in the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 761 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $207,000. Aurora Investment Counsel grew its position in shares of CF Industries by 9.9% during the first quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 21,438 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,784,000 after buying an additional 1,940 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of CF Industries by 37.5% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,063,854 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $254,920,000 after buying an additional 835,557 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its holdings in CF Industries by 19.2% in the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 232,167 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $19,318,000 after acquiring an additional 37,459 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

CF Industries Price Performance

CF Industries stock opened at $69.96 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.95. CF Industries has a 12-month low of $67.97 and a 12-month high of $87.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 3.94 and a quick ratio of 3.55. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $76.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.55.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.44). CF Industries had a return on equity of 14.08% and a net margin of 19.03%. The firm had revenue of $1.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.85 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 26.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that CF Industries will post 5.26 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 14th. CF Industries’s payout ratio is 33.22%.

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.