CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $138.13 and last traded at $140.6150, with a volume of 73859 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $136.45.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CF shares. Zacks Research cut CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce raised their price target on CF Industries from $100.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Mizuho reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective (up from $95.00) on shares of CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $97.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CF Industries has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $104.60.

CF Industries Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $21.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.41 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $104.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $90.49. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.89 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is 22.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 6,184 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.33, for a total transaction of $676,096.72. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 34,535 shares in the company, valued at $3,775,711.55. This represents a 15.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.06, for a total transaction of $2,454,658.46. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 55,762 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,586,977.72. The trade was a 24.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 82,408 shares of company stock valued at $9,971,298 in the last three months. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CF Industries

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CF. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position 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 period. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in CF Industries in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Peterson Wealth Services lifted its position in 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 bought a new stake in CF Industries during the third quarter worth about $41,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.