Key Points
- EVP Bert Frost sold 6,000 shares on March 17 at an average price of $126 for proceeds of $756,000, trimming his stake to 69,472 shares; the sale was disclosed in an SEC filing.
- CF's stock has surged this year (reported up ~59% YTD) and received a bullish lift from BMO raising its target to $140, but a DOJ probe and multiple insider sales introduce regulatory and sentiment risk.
- Fundamentals remain solid: CF beat quarterly EPS estimates ($2.59 vs. $2.53) with revenue up 22.8% year‑over‑year, pays a $0.50 quarterly dividend (1.6% yield), and has heavy institutional ownership (~93%).
CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) VP Erik Mayer sold 1,500 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.69, for a total transaction of $187,035.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 6,341 shares of the company's stock, valued at $790,659.29. This represents a 19.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.
CF Industries Stock Up 0.5%
Shares of NYSE:CF opened at $126.22 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average is $99.34 and its 200 day moving average is $88.64. The stock has a market cap of $19.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.02 and a beta of 0.68. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $67.34 and a 52-week high of $137.44. 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 - Get Free Report) last issued 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 business 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 business earned $1.89 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current year.
CF Industries Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries
Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position 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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 396.2% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 387 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Peterson Wealth Services lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 451.3% during the third quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the period. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in CF Industries in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.06% of the company's stock.
Key Headlines Impacting CF Industries
Here are the key news stories impacting CF Industries this week:
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of CF Industries from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded CF Industries from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 target price on CF Industries in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on CF Industries from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce boosted their price target on CF Industries from $100.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday. One investment 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $101.73.
View Our Latest Analysis on CF
About CF Industries
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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