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Zacks Research Boosts Earnings Estimates for CF Industries

CF Industries logo with Basic Materials background

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q4 2024 earnings estimates for shares of CF Industries in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, November 6th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $1.43 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.36. The consensus estimate for CF Industries' current full-year earnings is $6.19 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for CF Industries' Q1 2025 earnings at $1.31 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.79 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $5.28 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $5.75 EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Mizuho increased their target price on CF Industries from $76.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays raised their price objective on CF Industries from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Bank of America lowered CF Industries from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $83.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $88.42.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on CF Industries

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of CF traded up $1.37 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $85.08. 1,766,201 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,078,436. CF Industries has a 12 month low of $69.13 and a 12 month high of $90.86. The company has a current ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market cap of $14.81 billion, a PE ratio of 13.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.97. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $83.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $78.64.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $1.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.28 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 19.45% and a return on equity of 14.57%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.85 EPS.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 29th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.35%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 2,000 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction on Friday, October 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total value of $180,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 66,268 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,964,120. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, VP Ashraf K. Malik sold 7,201 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction on Friday, October 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.02, for a total transaction of $648,234.02. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 29,211 shares in the company, valued at $2,629,574.22. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total value of $180,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 66,268 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,964,120. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CF Industries

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in CF Industries by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,188,648 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $359,386,000 after buying an additional 549,569 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its position in shares of CF Industries by 37.5% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,063,854 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $254,920,000 after purchasing an additional 835,557 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in CF Industries by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,871,116 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $212,823,000 after purchasing an additional 198,246 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC raised its stake in CF Industries by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 2,193,528 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $162,584,000 after purchasing an additional 59,674 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,422,493 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $105,435,000 after purchasing an additional 68,834 shares in the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About CF Industries

(Get Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

Earnings History and Estimates for CF Industries (NYSE:CF)

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