CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Downgraded by Wolfe Research to "Peer Perform"

Wolfe Research downgraded shares of CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Free Report) from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating in a research note released on Thursday morning, Marketbeat.com reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on CF Industries from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on CF Industries from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays boosted their price objective on CF Industries from $87.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Oppenheimer cut CF Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded CF Industries to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $90.21.

CF Industries Stock Performance

NYSE CF traded up $6.10 during trading on Thursday, reaching $99.93. 6,205,431 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,155,080. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $83.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $84.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.76, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 3.08 and a quick ratio of 2.52. CF Industries has a fifty-two week low of $67.34 and a fifty-two week high of $100.48.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.53 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 15.50% and a net margin of 20.52%. The business's revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.03 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that CF Industries will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 7th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the basic materials company to purchase up to 14.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Korea Investment CORP increased its holdings in CF Industries by 88.5% in the 4th quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 150,374 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $12,830,000 after buying an additional 70,585 shares during the period. National Pension Service boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 2,848.4% in the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 290,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $24,776,000 after purchasing an additional 280,535 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,792,339 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $494,202,000 after purchasing an additional 225,109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 327,654 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $27,955,000 after purchasing an additional 24,135 shares in the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by 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.