CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Given New $80.00 Price Target at BNP Paribas Exane

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) had its price objective cut by BNP Paribas Exane from $90.00 to $80.00 in a research note published on Monday morning,MarketScreener reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on CF. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on CF Industries in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $96.00 to $94.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. HSBC decreased their price objective on CF Industries from $95.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Barclays raised shares of CF Industries from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $94.33.

CF Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CF opened at $77.59 on Monday. CF Industries has a 1 year low of $67.34 and a 1 year high of $104.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.10 billion, a PE ratio of 10.13 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 3.22 and a quick ratio of 2.84. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $85.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.71.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.06 by $0.13. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.19% and a return on equity of 17.10%. The business had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.55 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 21.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that CF Industries will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. CF Industries’s payout ratio is presently 24.10%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in CF Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $129,574,000. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CF Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $96,560,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in CF Industries by 926.2% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,118,446 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $102,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,009,455 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in CF Industries by 72.1% during the second quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,728,927 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $159,061,000 after buying an additional 724,329 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in CF Industries in the 2nd quarter worth $63,104,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About CF Industries

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.