Scotiabank Weighs in on CF Industries’ Q1 Earnings (NYSE:CF)

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) – Stock analysts at Scotiabank issued their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for CF Industries in a report issued on Monday, February 23rd. Scotiabank analyst B. Isaacson expects that the basic materials company will earn $2.28 per share for the quarter. Scotiabank has a “Sector Perform” rating and a $85.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for CF Industries’ current full-year earnings is $5.83 per share.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 19.84%. The company’s revenue was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.89 earnings per share.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on CF. Wall Street Zen lowered CF Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 14th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on CF Industries from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on CF Industries from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on CF Industries from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $95.53.

CF Industries Stock Up 0.7%

CF Industries stock opened at $96.07 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $87.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $85.27. The company has a current ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. CF Industries has a 1-year low of $67.34 and a 1-year high of $105.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.67 and a beta of 0.70.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc grew its holdings in CF Industries by 24.4% during 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 during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 11.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 232,647 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $20,868,000 after buying an additional 23,942 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at about $677,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of CF Industries by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 276,542 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,442,000 after acquiring an additional 15,291 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in CF Industries by 26.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,193,042 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $196,716,000 after acquiring an additional 464,115 shares in the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

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

Key Stories Impacting CF Industries

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

• Positive Sentiment: RBC raised its price target to $100 (sector perform), a clear upward signal from a major bank that likely helped demand for CF shares. RBC raises PT to $100
• Positive Sentiment: Several outlets report other price‑target increases (notably to $115 and $113), signalling some analysts see more upside versus prior views. These raise the floor on bullish scenarios for CF. Price Target Raised to $115
• Positive Sentiment: Another reported price target hike to $113 reinforces that at least some analysts are materially more constructive on CF’s outlook. Price Target Raised to $113
• Neutral Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane nudged its target to $95 and kept a neutral rating — a modest tweak that is largely signal‑neutral relative to current levels. BNP Paribas raises PT to $95
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces (Yahoo Finance) highlight a shifting investment narrative: mixed analyst signals mean headlines — not fundamentals — may be driving short‑term moves. How The CF Industries Investment Narrative Is Shifting
• Neutral Sentiment: Seeking Alpha notes CF’s low‑cost position gives a durable competitive edge, but commodity and policy swings (China, India) make earnings uneven; useful context but not an immediate directional trigger. Fertilizer Politics Cuts Both Ways
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its Q1 EPS estimate to $2.28 but set a lower $85 price target (sector perform), which implies downside versus current levels and may cap upside until visibility improves. Scotiabank raises estimates, sets PT at $85
• Negative Sentiment: Another Seeking Alpha piece flags a “valuation disconnect,” arguing CF’s current valuation may not fully account for commodity and macro risks — a line of analysis that can weigh on investor sentiment and multiple compression. Valuation Disconnect Is Still Too Big To Ignore

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.