CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Royal Bank Of Canada Analyst Says
by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets DailyCF Industries (NYSE:CF – Get Free Report) had its target price upped by stock analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $100.00 to $125.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a “sector perform” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price objective points to a potential downside of 8.60% from the company’s previous close.
Several other brokerages also recently commented on CF. Mizuho increased their price objective on CF Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Scotiabank increased their price objective on CF Industries from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised CF Industries from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Barclays increased their price target 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, Zacks Research downgraded CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $109.60.
CF Industries Stock Performance
Shares of CF Industries stock opened at $136.76 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $21.01 billion, a PE ratio of 15.20 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $109.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $92.44. The company has a quick ratio of 2.93, a current ratio of 3.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.
CF Industries (NYSE:CF – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that CF Industries will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insider Activity at CF Industries
In related news, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 3,499 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.38, for a total transaction of $438,704.62. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 31,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,891,293.68. This trade represents a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.06, for a total value of $2,454,658.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 55,762 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,586,977.72. The trade was a 24.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 82,408 shares of company stock valued at $9,971,298 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Trading of CF Industries
A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lakewood Asset Management LLC increased its position in CF Industries by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Lakewood Asset Management LLC now owns 12,371 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $957,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in CF Industries by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $183,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL increased its position in CF Industries by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 17,528 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,356,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in CF Industries by 78.0% in the third 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 last quarter. Finally, Kingsview Wealth Management LLC increased its position in CF Industries by 4.9% in the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,898 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $260,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
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.