Zacks Research Predicts Increased Earnings for CF Industries

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research boosted their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for shares of CF Industries in a report released on Tuesday, May 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $2.51 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $2.34. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for CF Industries’ current full-year earnings is $15.02 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for CF Industries’ Q3 2026 earnings at $1.44 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.76 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.26 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $5.90 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $7.32 EPS.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.63 by $1.35. CF Industries had a return on equity of 20.93% and a net margin of 23.73%.The company had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised CF Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on shares of CF Industries from $95.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 price objective on shares of CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of CF Industries from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, CF Industries presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $118.47.

CF Industries Price Performance

CF stock opened at $123.17 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 3.54, a quick ratio of 3.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market capitalization of $18.92 billion, a PE ratio of 11.07 and a beta of 0.42. CF Industries has a 12-month low of $75.42 and a 12-month high of $141.96. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $124.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $99.95.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CF Industries

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of CF Industries by 3.7% during the first quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,360 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $306,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Eley Financial Management Inc lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Eley Financial Management Inc now owns 13,764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,787,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of CF Industries by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 8,176 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,062,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,496 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $194,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lakewood Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Lakewood Asset Management LLC now owns 12,371 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $957,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.50, for a total transaction of $427,089.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,161 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,232,256.50. The trade was a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 6,184 shares of the company’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. The trade was a 15.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 82,408 shares of company stock worth $9,971,298. 0.51% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.97%.

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.