UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Stock Price

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) had its price objective lifted by UBS Group from $97.00 to $140.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce boosted their price target on CF Industries from $100.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on CF Industries from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Zacks Research cut CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on shares of CF Industries from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $104.60.

CF Industries Price Performance

NYSE CF opened at $132.29 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $20.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.70 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $103.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $90.07. CF Industries has a 52 week low of $67.34 and a 52 week high of $137.44.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $1.78 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that CF Industries will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. CF Industries’s payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries

In other news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.06, for a total transaction of $2,454,658.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 55,762 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,586,977.72. This represents a 24.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.50, for a total transaction of $427,089.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,161 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,232,256.50. This trade represents a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 82,408 shares of company stock worth $9,971,298. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CF Industries

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CF. World Investment Advisors bought a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 4th quarter valued at about $219,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its position in CF Industries by 23.7% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 26,623 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,059,000 after purchasing an additional 5,100 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 18,480.0% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 929 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 924 shares during the last quarter. MidFirst Bank purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $101,000. Finally, SG Trading Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,440,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting CF Industries

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on CF to $140 (from $97), highlighting that urea prices are up ~77% and arguing the market hasn’t fully priced that in — this is the main catalyst behind today’s buying. UBS Lifts CF Industries to $140 Price Target: Urea Prices Are Up 77% and the Market Hasn’t Caught On
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually high options activity: ~8,741 call contracts traded today (about 37% above typical daily call volume), indicating speculative or hedged bullish positioning from investors and traders. (No link available)
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its CF price target to $103 from $86 — another analyst upgrade that supports the view of improving fundamentals in the fertilizer market. BofA raises its price target on CF Industries Holdings (CF) to $103 from $86
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage note reporting the UBS change also frames UBS’s rating as “neutral” with an implied ~5.8% upside from the then-current market level — suggests UBS sees upside but is not assigning a buy rating. Benzinga coverage of UBS price target change

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.