CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Upgraded at KeyCorp

Key Points

• KeyCorp upgraded CF Industries to a “strong sell” rating, while the broader analyst consensus remains “Hold” with a $116.47 average price target.
• CF Industries’ shares opened at $135.11, near their 12-month high of $141.96; the company has a $20.45 billion market capitalization and a 10.02 price-to-earnings ratio.
• The company’s latest quarter fell short of estimates, reporting $4.73 in earnings per share versus the expected $5.63 and $2.22 billion in revenue versus $2.45 billion expected, despite 17.6% year-over-year revenue growth.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at KeyCorp to a "strong sell" rating in a report released on Thursday, Zacks reports.

CF has been the subject of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $94.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on CF Industries from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 15th. UBS Group upped their target price on CF Industries from $115.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Bank of America raised their price target on CF Industries from $103.00 to $106.00 in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce restated a "neutral" rating and set a $129.00 price objective on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $116.47.

CF Industries Stock Performance

CF Industries stock opened at $135.11 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $20.45 billion, a PE ratio of 10.02, a P/E/G ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $123.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $119.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 4.86 and a quick ratio of 4.32. CF Industries has a 12 month low of $75.42 and a 12 month high of $141.96.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.63 by ($0.90). CF Industries had a return on equity of 24.41% and a net margin of 27.12%.The business had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.45 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.37 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that CF Industries will post 13.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CF Industries

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in CF Industries by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,500 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,368,000 after buying an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in CF Industries by 161.1% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 11,870 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $928,000 after acquiring an additional 7,324 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in CF Industries by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 14,703 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,149,000 after acquiring an additional 4,252 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of CF Industries by 21.8% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,558 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $278,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of CF Industries by 141.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 790 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.06% of the company's stock.

About CF Industries

CF Industries Holdings, Inc is a global producer of nitrogen fertilizer and other nitrogen-based products. The company manufactures ammonia, granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), ammonium nitrate and nitric acid, which are used primarily in agriculture to support crop production. Its industrial products also serve customers in areas such as emissions control, plastics, resins, chemicals and other manufacturing applications.

CF Industries operates production facilities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom and supplies agricultural and industrial customers in North America and international markets.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.