CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Lowered to Peer Perform Rating by Wolfe Research

Wolfe Research downgraded shares of CF Industries (NYSE:CF) from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of CF Industries from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 24th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of CF Industries to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $86.00 target price for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered CF Industries from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $90.21.

CF Industries Stock Down 1.5%

CF stock opened at $93.82 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a 50-day moving average of $82.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $84.03. CF Industries has a 52-week low of $67.34 and a 52-week high of $98.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 3.08 and a quick ratio of 2.52.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.38. The business had revenue of $1.66 billion during 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%. The firm’s revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.03 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that CF Industries will post 5.83 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.35%.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CF. Curat Global LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 119.8% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 378 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 114.1% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 379 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.