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

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the fourteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $92.43.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on CF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of CF Industries from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $75.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $114.00 to $111.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Bank of America downgraded shares of CF Industries from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $83.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays downgraded shares of CF Industries from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $96.00 to $100.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated a “sector underperform” rating and set a $88.00 target price on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Friday, January 24th.

CF Industries Stock Performance

NYSE:CF opened at $85.03 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $89.17 and its 200-day moving average is $85.27. CF Industries has a 52-week low of $69.13 and a 52-week high of $98.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 2.52 and a current ratio of 2.81. The company has a market cap of $14.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.45, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 0.98.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.35%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, VP Ashraf K. Malik sold 8,889 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total value of $844,455.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 15,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,507,745. The trade was a 35.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.00, for a total transaction of $144,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 92,486 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,878,656. This represents a 1.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 25,389 shares of company stock worth $2,355,425 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC bought a new position in shares of CF Industries in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in CF Industries in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 50.8% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 478 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.