CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Shares Gap Up Following Analyst Upgrade

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday after Berenberg Bank raised their price target on the stock from $68.00 to $69.00. The stock had previously closed at $77.80, but opened at $80.60. Berenberg Bank currently has a hold rating on the stock. CF Industries shares last traded at $80.08, with a volume of 531,258 shares.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on CF. Piper Sandler cut shares of CF Industries from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $87.00 to $82.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $99.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group cut shares of CF Industries from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $83.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $88.00 target price (down previously from $96.00) on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of CF Industries from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $85.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CF Industries currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $87.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.00, for a total transaction of $510,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 64,030 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,442,550. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of CF Industries

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CF Industries in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in CF Industries by 428.6% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 370 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC increased its stake in CF Industries by 92.5% in the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 385 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in CF Industries in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CF Industries Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $14.94 billion, a PE ratio of 10.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 3.81 and a quick ratio of 3.44. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $81.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $79.77.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The basic materials company reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.12). CF Industries had a net margin of 23.00% and a return on equity of 18.44%. The business had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.51 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.35 EPS. CF Industries's revenue was down 39.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.85 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.51%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.51%.

About CF Industries

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.