Wolfe Research Downgrades CF Industries (NYSE:CF) to Peer Perform

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) was downgraded by analysts at Wolfe Research from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports.

CF has been the topic of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on CF Industries in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $86.00 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas upgraded CF Industries to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Scotiabank raised shares of CF Industries from a “sector underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $81.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Bank of America raised CF Industries from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of CF Industries from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $90.21.

CF Industries Price Performance

NYSE:CF opened at $99.93 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $16.94 billion, a PE ratio of 14.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 2.52, a current ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. CF Industries has a 12 month low of $67.34 and a 12 month high of $100.48. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $83.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.11.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.38. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.52% and a return on equity of 15.50%. The business had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.03 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that CF Industries will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, May 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the basic materials company to repurchase up to 14.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of CF Industries

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its stake in CF Industries by 10.1% during the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 14,069 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,099,000 after purchasing an additional 1,289 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in CF Industries during the 1st quarter worth about $1,211,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 141.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 143.5% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 87,642 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,849,000 after purchasing an additional 51,644 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in CF Industries by 21.8% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,558 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $278,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares during the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CF Industries Company Profile

CF Industries Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of hydrogen and nitrogen products for energy, fertilizer, emissions abatement, and other industrial activities in North America, Europe, and internationally. It operates through Ammonia, Granular Urea, UAN, AN, and Other segments.