CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $121.33 and last traded at $121.02, with a volume of 2449716 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $115.78.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. 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 report on Monday, February 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 target price on shares of CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of CF Industries from $83.00 to $78.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $96.87.

CF Industries Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $18.31 billion, a PE ratio of 13.24 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. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $91.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $86.38.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 19.84%. CF Industries’s revenue was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.89 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. CF Industries’s payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries

In other news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 3,914 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.09, for a total value of $415,236.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 81,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,593,608.27. This represents a 4.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 2,766 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.36, for a total value of $291,425.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 22,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,405,052.72. The trade was a 10.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 9,895 shares of company stock worth $1,018,517. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,368,000 after acquiring an additional 518 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 161.1% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 11,870 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $928,000 after purchasing an additional 7,324 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its position in CF Industries by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 14,703 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,149,000 after purchasing an additional 4,252 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in CF Industries by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,558 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $278,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 141.6% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

CF Industries Company Profile

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.