CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Downgraded to “Peer Perform” Rating by Wolfe Research

Wolfe Research lowered shares of CF Industries (NYSE:CF) from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating in a report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on CF. Bank of America upgraded CF Industries from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, February 24th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of CF Industries to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of CF Industries from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $87.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $90.21.

CF Industries Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:CF opened at $93.82 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.52, a current ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market cap of $15.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.86, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.97. CF Industries has a 12 month low of $67.34 and a 12 month high of $98.25. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $82.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.03.

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

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is 26.35%.

CF Industries declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, May 7th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the basic materials company to purchase up to 14.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CF Industries

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Savant Capital LLC lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 20.3% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 5,447 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $465,000 after purchasing an additional 921 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in CF Industries by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 310,936 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,529,000 after acquiring an additional 10,048 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 69,410 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,882,000 after buying an additional 647 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 50,848 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,338,000 after acquiring an additional 4,147 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in CF Industries in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.