Brokerages Set CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) PT at $90.21

Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $90.21.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on CF Industries from $87.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. BNP Paribas raised shares of CF Industries to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of CF Industries from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of CF Industries from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th.

CF Industries Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of CF stock opened at $87.91 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $77.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 2.52 and a current ratio of 3.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.99, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.94. CF Industries has a fifty-two week low of $67.34 and a fifty-two week high of $98.25.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.38. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.52% and a return on equity of 15.50%. The company had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.03 EPS. CF Industries’s revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that CF Industries will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the basic materials company to repurchase up to 14.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. CF Industries’s payout ratio is currently 26.35%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CF Industries

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Korea Investment CORP lifted its stake in CF Industries by 88.5% in the fourth quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 150,374 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $12,830,000 after acquiring an additional 70,585 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service increased its holdings in CF Industries by 2,848.4% in the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 290,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $24,776,000 after buying an additional 280,535 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in CF Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $51,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in CF Industries by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,792,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $494,202,000 after buying an additional 225,109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in CF Industries by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 171,807 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $14,543,000 after buying an additional 21,632 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

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.