CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Price Target Raised to $106.00 at Berenberg Bank

Key Points

• Berenberg Bank raised its price target on CF Industries from $86 to $106, while keeping a hold rating on the stock. The new target still implies downside from the prior close.
• CF Industries reported strong quarterly earnings, with EPS of $3.98 beating expectations of $2.63 and revenue of $1.99 billion topping estimates. Revenue also rose 19.4% year over year.
• Analyst views remain mixed: the stock has a consensus hold rating and a consensus price target of $117.69, while several firms recently raised their targets or upgraded the shares. Meanwhile, insiders sold shares over the last quarter, though institutions continue to own the vast majority of the company.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by investment analysts at Berenberg Bank from $86.00 to $106.00 in a report issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a "hold" rating on the basic materials company's stock. Berenberg Bank's price target suggests a potential downside of 11.34% from the company's previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 price target on CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on CF Industries from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded CF Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. 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, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of CF Industries from $95.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CF Industries currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $117.69.

CF Industries Trading Up 2.8%

NYSE CF opened at $119.56 on Thursday. CF Industries has a 52 week low of $75.42 and a 52 week high of $141.96. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $124.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $101.23. The company has a quick ratio of 3.15, a current ratio of 3.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.37 billion, a PE ratio of 10.72 and a beta of 0.42.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by $1.35. The business had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 23.73% and a return on equity of 20.93%. The company's revenue was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.85 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that CF Industries will post 13.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 3,499 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.38, for a total value of $438,704.62. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 31,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,891,293.68. The trade was a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.06, for a total value of $2,454,658.46. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 55,762 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,586,977.72. The trade was a 24.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 79,193 shares of company stock worth $9,659,443. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 10.6% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,013,846 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $449,742,000 after buying an additional 480,126 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in CF Industries by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,458,907 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $579,062,000 after acquiring an additional 146,682 shares during the period. Boston Partners increased its position in CF Industries by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,587,999 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $321,852,000 after acquiring an additional 476,769 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in CF Industries by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,570,249 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $276,123,000 after acquiring an additional 381,716 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in CF Industries by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,351,194 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $300,602,000 after acquiring an additional 63,938 shares during the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About CF Industries

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.

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.