CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $90.21.

Several research firms recently issued reports on CF. Barclays raised their target price on CF Industries from $87.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. UBS Group raised their target price on CF Industries from $79.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Oppenheimer cut CF Industries from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Bank of America raised CF Industries from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on CF Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

CF Industries Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of NYSE:CF opened at $95.17 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $82.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $83.99. CF Industries has a 12-month low of $67.34 and a 12-month high of $98.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 3.08, a quick ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.53 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 15.50% and a net margin of 20.52%. CF Industries’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.03 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that CF Industries will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, May 7th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the basic materials company to purchase up to 14.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.10%. CF Industries’s payout ratio is 26.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in CF Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $131,350,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in CF Industries by 8,352.8% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,451,338 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $113,422,000 after buying an additional 1,434,168 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in CF Industries by 72.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,278,354 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $178,053,000 after buying an additional 959,901 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in CF Industries by 29.4% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,804,718 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $239,299,000 after buying an additional 637,784 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in CF Industries by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,830,621 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $753,429,000 after buying an additional 543,876 shares during the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.