CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Lowered to Hold Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of CF Industries (NYSE:CF) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of CF Industries from $87.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $90.00 to $82.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of CF Industries from $83.00 to $78.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of CF Industries from $92.00 to $88.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, HSBC dropped their price target on shares of CF Industries from $95.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $88.14.

CF Industries Stock Up 0.7%

CF stock opened at $97.00 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $84.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.98. The company has a market cap of $15.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.69 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a current ratio of 2.27. CF Industries has a fifty-two week low of $67.34 and a fifty-two week high of $104.45.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.10%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CF. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $193,657,000. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 2nd quarter valued at $96,560,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 926.2% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,118,446 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $102,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,009,455 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 72.1% in the 2nd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,728,927 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $159,061,000 after buying an additional 724,329 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in CF Industries during the second quarter valued at about $63,104,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

CF Industries Company Profile

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.