Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Stock Price

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) had its price objective increased by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $135.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 1.09% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on CF Industries from $95.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on CF Industries from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on CF Industries from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce lifted their price objective on CF Industries from $100.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded CF Industries from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CF Industries has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $112.27.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CF opened at $133.55 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.93, a current ratio of 3.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.52 billion, a PE ratio of 14.84 and a beta of 0.52. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $110.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.78. CF Industries has a twelve month low of $67.34 and a twelve month high of $141.96.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 19.84%. The firm’s revenue was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.89 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that CF Industries will post 5.83 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at CF Industries

In related news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.00, for a total value of $756,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 69,472 shares in the company, valued at $8,753,472. This trade represents a 7.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.50, for a total transaction of $427,089.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,161 shares in the company, valued at $2,232,256.50. This trade represents a 16.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 82,408 shares of company stock worth $9,971,298 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CF Industries

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CF. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in CF Industries by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,368,000 after acquiring an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 161.1% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 11,870 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $928,000 after purchasing an additional 7,324 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in CF Industries by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 14,703 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,149,000 after purchasing an additional 4,252 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in shares of CF Industries by 21.8% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,558 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 638 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of CF Industries by 141.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares during the period. 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.