CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Consensus "Hold": 18 analysts cover CF Industries with a consensus Hold rating (3 sell, 9 hold, 4 buy, 2 strong buy) and an average 12‑month price target of $118.53.
• Notable insider selling: Insiders sold 82,408 shares worth about $9.97 million in the last quarter, leaving insiders owning roughly 0.51% of the company.
• Solid quarter and dividend: CF beat the quarter (EPS $2.59 vs $2.53; revenue $1.87B vs $1.78B) and declared a $0.50 quarterly dividend (annual $2.00, yield 1.6%, ex‑dividend May 15).

Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation, four have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $118.5333.

CF has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded CF Industries from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on CF Industries from $95.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Scotiabank upped their price target on CF Industries from $85.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on CF Industries from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised CF Industries from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 6,184 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.33, for a total value of $676,096.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 34,535 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,775,711.55. This represents a 15.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.01, for a total value of $1,190,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 87,256 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,384,336.56. This trade represents a 10.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 82,408 shares of company stock worth $9,971,298. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 232,647 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $20,868,000 after buying an additional 23,942 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 878.2% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 17,941 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,609,000 after buying an additional 16,107 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 369,321 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $33,128,000 after buying an additional 61,140 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $677,000. Finally, AIA Group Ltd acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $376,000. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CF opened at $122.90 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $119.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $96.58. CF Industries has a twelve month low of $75.42 and a twelve month high of $141.96. The company has a market cap of $18.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.66 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 2.93, a current ratio of 3.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. CF Industries had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.89 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that CF Industries will post 12.41 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is 22.22%.

CF Industries Company Profile

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.

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