CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Cut to Hold at Zacks Research

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

Several other brokerages also recently commented on CF. Mizuho dropped their price target on CF Industries from $92.00 to $88.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of CF Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 14th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce upgraded shares of CF Industries to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of CF Industries from $94.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $83.00 to $78.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CF Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $88.14.

CF Industries Trading Down 3.0%

Shares of NYSE:CF opened at $94.01 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a current ratio of 2.27. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $84.31 and its 200-day moving average is $85.05. The company has a market cap of $14.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.33 and a beta of 0.70. CF Industries has a 52-week low of $67.34 and a 52-week high of $104.45.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. CF Industries’s payout ratio is 24.10%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CF. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of CF Industries by 78.0% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 292 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in CF Industries by 396.2% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 387 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares during the period. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in CF Industries in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in CF Industries by 46.3% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Wealth Services lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 451.3% during the third quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

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.