CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Trading Down 6.1% – Here’s Why

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) shares fell 6.1% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $125.03 and last traded at $127.76. 2,363,132 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 30% from the average session volume of 3,393,717 shares. The stock had previously closed at $136.00.

Trending Headlines about CF Industries

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks notes CF jumped ~13.2% on heavy volume and says recent upward revisions to earnings estimates could support further gains in the near term. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Bloomberg reports CF hit record highs as investors price in supply risks from the Iran conflict — a direct driver of higher fertilizer/urea prices and stronger margin outlook for producers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: The Wall Street Journal highlights fertilizer-stock gains as shipments are stuck at the Strait of Hormuz, tightening supply and supporting prices — a structural boost to CF’s revenue and margins if disruptions persist. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha shows CF and peers leading the S&P as Iran war-related supply worries send fertilizer prices up, reinforcing the narrative of higher near-term pricing tailwinds for CF. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: BeInCrypto lists CF among U.S. stocks to watch in late March — a signal of elevated investor attention but not additional fundamental news. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: MSN coverage notes CF topping the S&P on the war-fueled surge — useful for sentiment tracking but largely duplicative of other reports. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: MSN also frames CF’s move as linked to Middle East tensions — more media amplification of the same catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Investing.com reports Senator Hawley accused CF of price gouging as urea surged ~32% — this raises political and reputational risk that could invite hearings, regulatory scrutiny or pressure on pricing, weighing on sentiment. Read More.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently 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. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on CF Industries from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of CF Industries from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $96.87.

CF Industries Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $94.77 and a 200-day moving average of $87.29. The company has a market cap of $20.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.53 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 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 business had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.89 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors 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 dividend payout ratio is 22.22%.

Insider Activity at CF Industries

In other news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 7,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.00, for a total value of $799,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 73,803 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,192,133. This represents a 8.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,161 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,232,256.50. This represents a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 47,118 shares of company stock worth $5,280,588 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,982,072 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $734,351,000 after acquiring an additional 165,833 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,013,846 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $449,742,000 after purchasing an additional 480,126 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in CF Industries by 37.6% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,312,225 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $333,501,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178,516 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its position in CF Industries by 15.3% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,587,999 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $321,852,000 after purchasing an additional 476,769 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in CF Industries by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,570,249 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $276,123,000 after purchasing an additional 381,716 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

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.