CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Rating Increased to Overweight at Barclays

Key Points

• CF Industries has been upgraded by Barclays from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating, with a target price increased to $100.00, suggesting a potential upside of 20.73% from its previous close.
• Other analysts including JPMorgan Chase and Scotiabank have also recently adjusted their ratings, indicating a growing positive sentiment towards CF Industries' stock.
• The company reported strong quarterly earnings, with an EPS of $2.37, exceeding estimates and showcasing a 20.2% revenue increase year-over-year.

Barclays upgraded shares of CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Free Report) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research note released on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Barclays currently has $100.00 price target on the basic materials company's stock, up from their previous price target of $95.00.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of CF Industries from $103.00 to $101.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $100.00 price target on shares of CF Industries and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $82.00 price target (up previously from $81.00) on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of CF Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of CF Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CF Industries presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $95.00.

CF Industries Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE:CF traded up $0.61 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $85.88. 2,428,910 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,810,435. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $93.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $85.19. CF Industries has a 52-week low of $67.34 and a 52-week high of $104.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 3.22 and a quick ratio of 2.84. The firm has a market cap of $13.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.21 and a beta of 0.94.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.02. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.19% and a return on equity of 17.10%. The business had revenue of $1.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.73 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.30 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that CF Industries will post 5.83 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. CF Industries's payout ratio is 26.11%.

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

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.23, for a total transaction of $1,002,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 87,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,812,522.29. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 13,119 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,123,000 after acquiring an additional 3,068 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $14,883,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 30.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 14,162 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,208,000 after acquiring an additional 3,345 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 11,807 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,007,000 after acquiring an additional 2,158 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $272,000. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.