CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Receives $116.56 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $116.5625.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on CF. Freedom Capital raised shares of CF Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Berenberg Bank lifted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $86.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $129.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a report on Friday, July 24th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of CF Industries stock opened at $117.03 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $17.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.68 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 4.32 and a current ratio of 4.86. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $114.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $114.61. CF Industries has a one year low of $75.42 and a one year high of $141.96.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.63 by ($0.90). The company had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.45 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 24.41%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.37 EPS. Equities analysts expect that CF Industries will post 14.89 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from CF Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.83%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Himension Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. purchased a new stake in CF Industries in the first quarter worth $25,000. Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 46.3% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CF Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

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.