CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Berenberg Bank Analyst Says

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) had its price target boosted by investment analysts at Berenberg Bank from $86.00 to $106.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Berenberg Bank’s price objective indicates a potential downside of 11.34% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on CF. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce boosted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $118.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 price objective on CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group dropped their target price on CF Industries from $140.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $117.69.

CF Industries Stock Performance

NYSE:CF opened at $119.56 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 3.54 and a quick ratio of 3.15. The firm has a market cap of $18.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.72 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $124.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $101.23. CF Industries has a 1-year low of $75.42 and a 1-year high of $141.96.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $1.35. The company had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 23.73% and a return on equity of 20.93%. CF Industries’s revenue was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.85 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that CF Industries will post 13.95 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.50, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 10,000 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.01, for a total transaction of $1,190,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 87,256 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,384,336.56. The trade was a 10.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 79,193 shares of company stock valued at $9,659,443. 0.51% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CF. BankChampaign National Association acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 1st quarter worth $256,000. Groupe la Francaise increased its holdings in CF Industries by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 48,254 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,265,000 after acquiring an additional 351 shares in the last quarter. Eley Financial Management Inc increased 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 valued at $1,787,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in CF Industries by 8.4% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,048,671 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $265,999,000 after acquiring an additional 158,119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 304.4% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 72,716 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,444,000 after purchasing an additional 54,737 shares in the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is 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.