CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Price Target Raised to $115.00 at Scotiabank

Key Points

• Scotiabank raised its price target on CF Industries to $115 from $85 while maintaining a "sector perform" rating, implying only about a 0.45% upside from the prior close.
• Multiple analysts have lifted targets (e.g., Morgan Stanley to $135 and RBC to $125), but the consensus remains a "Hold" with an average price target of $116.87.
• CF beat quarterly expectations with $2.59 EPS and revenue up 22.8% year-over-year. Insiders have been net sellers recently, disposing of roughly 82,408 shares (~$9.97 million) over the last quarter.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) had its price target raised by stock analysts at Scotiabank from $85.00 to $115.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has a "sector perform" rating on the basic materials company's stock. Scotiabank's price objective points to a potential upside of 0.45% from the company's previous close.

CF has been the topic of several other reports. Bank of America boosted their target price on CF Industries from $86.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce lifted their target price on CF Industries from $100.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Zacks Research cut CF Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on CF Industries from $95.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CF Industries currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $116.87.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of CF Industries stock opened at $114.49 on Monday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $114.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.59 billion, a PE ratio of 12.68 and a beta of 0.52. CF Industries has a 12 month low of $73.56 and a 12 month high of $141.96. The company has a current ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 19.84%. The business's revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that CF Industries will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.01, for a total transaction of $1,190,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 87,256 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,384,336.56. This represents a 10.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.06, for a total transaction of $2,454,658.46. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 55,762 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,586,977.72. This trade represents a 24.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 82,408 shares of company stock valued at $9,971,298. 0.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position 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 during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in CF Industries by 878.2% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 17,941 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,609,000 after purchasing an additional 16,107 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of CF Industries by 19.8% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 369,321 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $33,128,000 after purchasing an additional 61,140 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at $677,000. Finally, AIA Group Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 3rd quarter worth $376,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company's stock.

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.