Barclays Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Stock

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Free Report) had its price objective raised by Barclays from $91.00 to $95.00 in a research report report published on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the basic materials company's stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price target on shares of CF Industries and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of 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. Wolfe Research lowered shares of CF Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $86.00 price target for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded shares of CF Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, CF Industries has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $92.07.

CF Industries Stock Performance

CF stock traded up $0.54 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $95.19. The stock had a trading volume of 2,408,144 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,236,951. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.14 billion, a PE ratio of 12.54 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 2.22. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $90.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $84.83. CF Industries has a fifty-two week low of $67.34 and a fifty-two week high of $104.45.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.53 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 21.80% and a return on equity of 17.39%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.03 earnings per share. Analysts predict that CF Industries will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, May 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the basic materials company to buy up to 14.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.35%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.23, for a total value of $1,002,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 87,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,812,522.29. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of CF. Curat Global LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in shares of CF Industries during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of CF Industries by 119.8% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 378 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the period. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of CF Industries by 114.1% during the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 379 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CF Industries Company Profile

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.