CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Royal Bank Of Canada Analyst Says

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada raised CF Industries' price target to $125 (from $100) but kept a "sector perform" rating, and that target implies roughly an 8.6% downside from the recent share price.
• Analyst views are mixed: the consensus rating is "Hold" with an average target of $109.60, though several brokers have lifted targets (some up to $140) and assigned neutral/ buy opinions.
• CF reported an EPS beat ($2.59 vs. $2.53 est.) and 22.8% revenue growth, trading around $136.76 near its 1-year high, but insiders have recently sold shares while institutional ownership stands at about 93%.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by stock analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $100.00 to $125.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a "sector perform" rating on the basic materials company's stock. Royal Bank Of Canada's price target indicates a potential downside of 8.60% from the stock's current price.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on CF. Weiss Ratings raised CF Industries from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on CF Industries from $95.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 target price on CF Industries in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group upped their target price on CF Industries from $97.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce upped their target price on CF Industries from $100.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $109.60.

CF Industries Trading Up 4.4%

Shares of CF stock opened at $136.76 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $21.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.20 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $109.54 and a 200-day moving average of $92.44. 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 has a 1-year low of $67.34 and a 1-year high of $141.96.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that CF Industries will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at CF Industries

In related news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of the company'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 sale, the executive vice president owned 55,762 shares in the company, valued at $7,586,977.72. This represents a 24.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Erik M. Mayer sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.69, for a total value of $187,035.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 6,341 shares in the company, valued at approximately $790,659.29. The trade was a 19.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 82,408 shares of company stock worth $9,971,298 over the last quarter. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CF. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 3.1% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,500 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,368,000 after acquiring an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 161.1% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 11,870 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $928,000 after acquiring an additional 7,324 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 14,703 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,149,000 after acquiring an additional 4,252 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 21.8% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,558 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $278,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 141.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 790 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. 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.

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