CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Stock Rating Upgraded by BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas upgraded shares of CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Free Report) to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on CF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of CF Industries from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $82.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Scotiabank upgraded CF Industries from a "sector underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $81.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on CF Industries from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on CF Industries from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $89.20.

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CF Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CF traded up $0.76 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $73.17. 2,245,014 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,778,403. The company has a quick ratio of 2.52, a current ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market cap of $12.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.81, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $77.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $84.32. CF Industries has a twelve month low of $67.34 and a twelve month high of $98.25.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.40. The company had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 15.50% and a net margin of 20.52%. As a group, analysts anticipate that CF Industries will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.54%.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.00, for a total value of $144,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 92,486 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,878,656. The trade was a 1.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CF Industries

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CF. FMR LLC increased its stake in CF Industries by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,830,621 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $753,429,000 after purchasing an additional 543,876 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of CF Industries by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,792,339 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $494,202,000 after buying an additional 225,109 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of CF Industries by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,487,821 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $382,901,000 after buying an additional 299,173 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in CF Industries by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,425,518 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $377,585,000 after acquiring an additional 150,461 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners grew its stake in shares of CF Industries by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,316,616 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $283,044,000 after purchasing an additional 216,395 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, 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.