Insider Selling: CF Industries (NYSE:CF) VP Sells 1,500 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: CF VP Erik Mayer sold 1,500 shares on March 17 at an average price of $124.69 for $187,035, reducing his holdings by 19.13% to 6,341 shares (≈$790,659).
• Earnings & dividend: CF beat quarterly estimates with $2.59 EPS (vs. $2.53) and revenue up 22.8% year‑over‑year, and the company pays a $0.50 quarterly dividend (annualized $2.00, ~1.6% yield).
• Market drivers & risks: Shares have been buoyed by higher fertilizer prices amid Strait of Hormuz supply concerns and some analyst target upgrades, but sentiment is mixed due to dispersed price targets, recent downgrades, extensive insider selling and regulatory/antitrust risks.

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) VP Erik Mayer sold 1,500 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.69, for a total value of $187,035.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 6,341 shares in the company, valued at approximately $790,659.29. This represents a 19.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

CF Industries Stock Down 1.2%

CF stock traded down $1.58 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $125.15. The company had a trading volume of 6,480,449 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,759,943. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $98.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $88.39. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.34 and a 52 week high of $137.44. The company has a market capitalization of $19.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.91 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 3.37 and a quick ratio of 2.93.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.87 billion for 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.89 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is 22.22%.

Key Headlines Impacting CF Industries

Here are the key news stories impacting CF Industries this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical supply disruption (Strait of Hormuz) is lifting global fertilizer prices, which benefits CF as a domestic, low‑cost nitrogen producer. Not Just Oil: 3 Fertilizer Stocks Boosted by Hormuz Closure (CF)
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary tying tighter global nitrogen supply to higher urea/ammonia pricing has already lifted CF shares in recent sessions, reinforcing upside on improving fertilizer spreads. CF Industries climbs 3.7% as markets price in tighter global nitrogen supply
• Positive Sentiment: BMO raised its price target to $140 and kept an outperform stance, a bullish analyst signal that supports upside expectations. BMO raises CF price target to $140
• Positive Sentiment: CIBC lifted its price target to $118, another incremental analyst upgrade that narrows downside concerns. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Increases CF Industries Price Target to $118
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America expects a fertilizer rally to boost earnings industry‑wide but warns benefits will be uneven across names — mixed implications for CF depending on how pricing and production evolve. BofA sees fertilizer rally lifting earnings, but not all stocks benefit equally
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes (e.g., Barron's) emphasize the recent surge but warn upside may be limited once shipping/disruption signals fade — suggests gains could be event‑driven and temporary. CF Industries Stock Has Surged on the Iran War. Analysts See Limited Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst price targets are highly dispersed (roughly ~$85–$150), reflecting disagreement on duration of the price rally and adding volatility risk. QuiverQuant roundup of CF opinions
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho downgraded CF (reaffirmed Underperform) saying the rally may have peaked — that analyst call is a clear headwind for sentiment and can pressure the stock. CF Industries stock falls after Mizuho downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Extensive insider selling (multiple executives selling large blocks) and a reported shares gap down after the selling have raised profit‑taking and governance concerns among investors. CF Industries Shares Gap Down After Insider Selling
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing regulatory and antitrust attention (DOJ probes, congressional inquiries cited in market discussion) increases litigation/regulatory risk that could cap multiple expansion. QuiverQuant: opinions on supply disruptions and regulatory risk

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CF Industries

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Lakewood Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of CF Industries by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Lakewood Asset Management LLC now owns 12,371 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $957,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $183,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL grew its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 17,528 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,356,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in CF Industries by 78.0% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 292 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of CF Industries by 4.9% in the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,898 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on CF shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded CF Industries from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. HSBC decreased their target price on CF Industries from $95.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Barclays boosted their target price on CF Industries from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on CF Industries from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. One equities 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $101.73.

CF Industries Company Profile

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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