Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Stock Price

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised its price target on CF to $135 (from $95) while maintaining an "equal weight" rating, implying about an 8.6% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst views remain mixed — CF's consensus target is roughly $117.87 with an average "Hold" rating, while other firms range from "Sell" to "Outperform" and several have recently revised targets upward.
• Company update: CF beat Q1 estimates (EPS $2.59 vs. $2.53) with revenue up 22.8% YoY, declared a $0.50 quarterly dividend, but insiders have been net sellers and institutional ownership is about 93%.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) had its price target hoisted by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $135.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has an "equal weight" rating on the basic materials company's stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 8.61% from the company's previous close.

CF has been the topic of several other reports. Bank of America increased their target price on CF Industries from $86.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 price objective on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of CF Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CF Industries presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $117.87.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CF traded up $1.99 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $124.30. The company's stock had a trading volume of 142,557 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,048,654. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a current ratio of 3.37. The company has a market cap of $19.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.88 and a beta of 0.52. The business's 50 day moving average price is $118.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $96.11. CF Industries has a fifty-two week low of $75.42 and a fifty-two week 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that CF Industries will post 12.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.00, for a total value of $756,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 69,472 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,753,472. This trade represents a 7.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Erik M. Mayer sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 82,408 shares of company stock worth $9,971,298. 0.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CF Industries

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake 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 valued at $20,868,000 after acquiring an additional 23,942 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 878.2% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 17,941 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,609,000 after acquiring an additional 16,107 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 369,321 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $33,128,000 after acquiring an additional 61,140 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at $677,000. Finally, AIA Group Ltd bought a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at $376,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.06% of the company's stock.

CF Industries News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a $0.50 quarterly dividend (payable May 29; record/ex-dividend May 15), implying roughly a 1.6% yield and providing immediate income support that can attract yield-seeking investors. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank materially raised its EPS forecasts for CF — boosting FY2026 to $14.01 and FY2027 to $9.79 (from much lower prior estimates). Bigger earnings revisions can lift sentiment and justify higher valuations if sustained by results and volumes.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector and peer earnings previews (Sherwin-Williams, ATI, Smurfit/Westrock, International Paper) published this week create mixed comps for the materials space; improving peer results could help CF’s relative performance, while weakness in packaging or paper names may temper sector flows. Example coverage: SHW Q1 report. SHW Q1 Earnings Top Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces comparing CF to basic-materials peers highlight that CF has outpaced parts of the sector year-to-date, which supports momentum-based buying but doesn’t guarantee further gains. Is CF Industries (CF) Stock Outpacing Its Basic Materials Peers This Year?
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the EPS raises, Scotiabank retained a "Sector Perform" rating and a $115 price target — below recent trade levels — which could act as a psychological cap on upside until guidance or results validate the higher forecasts.

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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