Zacks Research Predicts Increased Earnings for CF Industries

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q2 2027 EPS forecast for CF Industries to $2.73 from $2.64, while maintaining a “Hold” rating. Analysts’ consensus view remains “Hold,” with an average price target of $116.56.
• CF Industries’ latest quarterly results missed expectations, reporting $4.73 EPS versus the $5.63 consensus and revenue of $2.22 billion versus $2.45 billion expected, although revenue increased 17.6% year over year.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $0.60 per share from $0.50, implying a $2.40 annualized payout and approximately a 2.0% yield. Institutional investors own 93.06% of CF Industries’ stock.

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q2 2027 EPS estimates for CF Industries in a research note issued on Wednesday, August 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the basic materials company will post earnings of $2.73 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $2.64. Zacks Research currently has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for CF Industries' current full-year earnings is $13.85 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for CF Industries' Q3 2027 earnings at $2.54 EPS and Q2 2028 earnings at $1.83 EPS.

Several other analysts have also commented on CF. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of CF Industries in a report on Monday, June 29th. Wall Street Zen cut CF Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on CF Industries from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of CF Industries from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, CF Industries presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $116.56.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of CF opened at $119.31 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $115.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.34. The firm has a market cap of $18.06 billion, a PE ratio of 8.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 4.86, a quick ratio of 4.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. CF Industries has a 1-year low of $75.42 and a 1-year high of $141.96.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.63 by ($0.90). CF Industries had a return on equity of 24.41% and a net margin of 27.12%.The company had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.45 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.37 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from CF Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.79%.

Institutional Trading of CF Industries

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CF. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,410,607,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in CF Industries by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,458,907 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $579,062,000 after acquiring an additional 146,682 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 15.3% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,587,999 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $321,852,000 after purchasing an additional 476,769 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,570,249 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $276,123,000 after purchasing an additional 381,716 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of CF Industries by 0.4% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,287,256 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $302,428,000 after purchasing an additional 11,792 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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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