CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Upgraded by BNP Paribas to “Strong-Buy” Rating

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) was upgraded by equities researchers at BNP Paribas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on CF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut CF Industries from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $82.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays decreased their target price on CF Industries from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of CF Industries from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $89.20.

CF Industries Stock Performance

Shares of CF stock traded up $0.92 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $70.89. 176,745 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,092,466. CF Industries has a twelve month low of $67.34 and a twelve month high of $98.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $78.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $84.50. The company has a quick ratio of 2.52, a current ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.02 billion, a PE ratio of 10.54, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.84.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.50 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.52% and a return on equity of 15.50%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that CF Industries will post 5.83 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, VP Ashraf K. Malik sold 8,889 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $844,455.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 15,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,507,745. The trade was a 35.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $142,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 93,986 shares in the company, valued at $8,928,670. This represents a 1.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 11,889 shares of company stock worth $1,130,955. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its stake in CF Industries by 9.8% in the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 3,295 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $283,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 118.7% in the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 15,991 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,372,000 after buying an additional 8,679 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 34.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 441,470 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $37,878,000 after buying an additional 112,002 shares during the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the third quarter valued at approximately $396,000. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its holdings in CF Industries by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 10,914 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $936,000 after acquiring an additional 558 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

CF Industries Company Profile

CF Industries Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of hydrogen and nitrogen products for energy, fertilizer, emissions abatement, and other industrial activities in North America, Europe, and internationally. It operates through Ammonia, Granular Urea, UAN, AN, and Other segments.