CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Earns “Underperform” Rating from Mizuho

CF Industries (NYSE:CF)‘s stock had its “underperform” rating reaffirmed by equities research analysts at Mizuho in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $100.00 price objective on the basic materials company’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $95.00. Mizuho’s target price indicates a potential downside of 18.90% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on CF. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of CF Industries from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce raised their price objective on CF Industries from $100.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on CF Industries from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Zacks Research cut CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, CF Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.40.

CF Industries Stock Performance

CF Industries stock opened at $123.30 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.95 billion, a PE ratio of 13.70 and a beta of 0.68. CF Industries has a one year low of $67.34 and a one year high of $137.44. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $97.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $88.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a current ratio of 3.37.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 19.84%. The company had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.89 earnings per share. CF Industries’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that CF Industries will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.06, for a total transaction of $2,454,658.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 55,762 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,586,977.72. This represents a 24.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.69, for a total value of $854,312.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 75,472 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,316,267.68. This trade represents a 7.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 71,409 shares of company stock valued at $8,589,559 over the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CF Industries

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CF. Lakewood Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Lakewood Asset Management LLC now owns 12,371 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $957,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of CF Industries by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $183,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL increased its stake in shares of CF Industries by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 17,528 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,356,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 78.0% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 292 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kingsview Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 4.9% during the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,898 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.