CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Stock Price Down 3.4% – What’s Next?

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) was down 3.4% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $133.40 and last traded at $132.8920. Approximately 1,246,946 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 4,074,098 shares. The stock had previously closed at $137.60.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CF has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Scotiabank boosted their price target on CF Industries from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Zacks Research cut CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on CF Industries from $97.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $104.93.

CF Industries Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $105.63 and a 200-day moving average of $90.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.20 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a current ratio of 3.37.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last released its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. CF Industries’s revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. CF Industries’s payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of the company’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,232,256.50. This represents a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.01, for a total transaction of $1,190,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 87,256 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,384,336.56. This trade represents a 10.28% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 82,408 shares of company stock valued at $9,971,298 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of CF Industries by 78.0% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 292 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in CF Industries by 396.2% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 387 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in CF Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of CF Industries by 46.3% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Wealth Services lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 451.3% during the 3rd quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.