CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Stock Price Up 2.3% on Analyst Upgrade

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) traded up 2.3% during trading on Tuesday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $100.00 to $120.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. CF Industries traded as high as $107.43 and last traded at $106.7330. 768,127 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 2,478,948 shares. The stock had previously closed at $104.30.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wolfe Research upgraded CF Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Mizuho set a $95.00 target price on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CF Industries has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $96.87.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 3,215 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $311,855.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 87,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,522,517. This trade represents a 3.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting CF Industries

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

• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical supply risk is lifting fertilizer pricing expectations — concerns about seaborne disruptions in the Middle East (a meaningful exporter of urea) are being cited as a catalyst for tighter near‑term nitrogen availability and higher benchmark fertilizer prices. CF Industries rises as investors price in tighter global nitrogen supply and higher fertilizer pricing risk
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $120 and kept an Overweight rating, providing a notable institutional endorsement that can attract buy-side flows and supports the rally. Barclays adjusts price target on CF Industries to $120
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other research updates raised near‑term EPS estimates and FY forecasts (multiple quarterly upgrades and a higher FY2028 outlook), which reinforces expectations for stronger earnings and cash flow if fertilizer prices remain elevated. CF Industries Benefits From Strong Nitrogen Demand and Higher Prices
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional activity is mixed — several large managers trimmed positions materially in Q4 while others (e.g., Dimensional, Norges Bank) added shares; this creates both selling pressure and pockets of structural demand. Quiver Quant institutional holdings detail
• Neutral Sentiment: Mentions in market roundups (Final Trades) keep the name visible to active traders but contain no new company‑specific catalyst. Final Trades: Lockheed Martin, Netflix and CF Industries
• Negative Sentiment: Rising natural‑gas costs are pressuring CF’s manufacturing margins — higher feedstock energy costs can offset some revenue gains from stronger fertilizer prices. CF Industries Benefits From Strong Nitrogen Demand and Higher Prices
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and a number of large institutional reductions are visible in recent filings — these disclosures can create near‑term selling pressure or signal profit‑taking despite the positive macro backdrop. Quiver Quant insider and institutional activity
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains mixed — while some targets were raised, the recent median target sits below the current price, indicating a split view on sustainability of upside. Quiver Quant analyst targets summary

Institutional Trading of CF Industries

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CF. Lakewood Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of CF Industries by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Lakewood Asset Management LLC now owns 12,371 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $957,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in CF Industries by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $183,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL increased its position in shares of CF Industries by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 17,528 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,356,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kingsview Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 4.9% in the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,898 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CF Industries Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $89.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $85.83. The firm has a market cap of $16.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.81 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 2.93, a current ratio of 3.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

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

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. CF Industries’s payout ratio is 22.22%.

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.