CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Given New $85.00 Price Target at Scotiabank

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) had its price target boosted by Scotiabank from $82.00 to $85.00 in a report issued on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have a sector perform rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on CF. Wolfe Research raised shares of CF Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $103.00 price objective on shares of CF Industries in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upped their price objective on CF Industries from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $94.80.

CF Industries Trading Down 1.8%

CF opened at $95.45 on Monday. 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 $14.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.61 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $86.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $85.16. CF Industries has a twelve month low of $67.34 and a twelve month high of $105.27.

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

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.22%.

Institutional Trading of CF Industries

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc increased its stake in CF Industries by 24.4% in the second quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 95,289 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $8,767,000 after purchasing an additional 18,666 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in CF Industries by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 232,647 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $20,868,000 after buying an additional 23,942 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CF Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $677,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 5.9% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 276,542 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,442,000 after acquiring an additional 15,291 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in CF Industries by 26.8% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,193,042 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $196,716,000 after acquiring an additional 464,115 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting CF Industries

Here are the key news stories impacting CF Industries this week:

• Positive Sentiment: RBC Capital raised its price target to $100 and kept a “sector perform” rating, suggesting modest upside and supporting the idea the shares still have room to move higher. RBC price-target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple short-form reports from AmericanBankingNews note higher analyst targets (including raises to $113 and $115), which could buoy sentiment if investors focus on those more bullish estimates. Price target $113 Price target $115
• Positive Sentiment: Rep. Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. bought CF shares, a small insider/insider-affiliated purchase that can be read as a vote of confidence by some investors. Insider purchase
• Neutral Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane lifted its target to $95 and maintained a “neutral” rating, essentially keeping expectations flat versus the current price and contributing to the market’s tonal ambiguity. BNP Paribas note
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reiterated a “hold,” leaving CF in a watchful category rather than a buy/strong-buy, which dampens conviction among some funds. Goldman Sachs hold
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its target to $85 but kept a “sector perform” rating — that target is materially below the current price and signals downside risk if the market focuses on more conservative estimates. Scotiabank note
• Negative Sentiment: Two recent Seeking Alpha pieces emphasize valuation concerns and volatility tied to nitrogen fertilizer and natural gas prices, plus geopolitical policy risks (China export controls, Indian subsidies) — these macro/commodity uncertainties make CF’s earnings and multiples harder to forecast and likely weigh on the stock. Fertilizer politics analysis Valuation disconnect
• Negative Sentiment: One AmericanBankingNews note raised a lower $94 target, reflecting the split among sources and adding to investor hesitation. Price target $94

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.