Equities Analysts Issue Forecasts for CF Industries Holdings, Inc.’s Q1 2024 Earnings (NYSE:CF)

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2024 earnings estimates for shares of CF Industries in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, April 17th. Zacks Research analyst M. Agrawal now anticipates that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $1.43 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.37. The consensus estimate for CF Industries’ current full-year earnings is $5.86 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for CF Industries’ Q1 2025 earnings at $0.90 EPS and Q1 2026 earnings at $1.53 EPS.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The basic materials company reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.12). CF Industries had a return on equity of 18.44% and a net margin of 23.00%. The firm had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.35 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 39.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other research firms also recently commented on CF. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $88.00 price objective (down from $96.00) on shares of CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $95.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a report on Friday, February 16th. Barclays upgraded CF Industries from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 12th. Wolfe Research started coverage on CF Industries in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $99.00 target price for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered CF Industries from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $87.00 to $82.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.47.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CF opened at $79.47 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $81.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $79.74. CF Industries has a twelve month low of $60.08 and a twelve month high of $87.90. The company has a quick ratio of 3.44, a current ratio of 3.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.92 billion, a PE ratio of 10.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.03.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of CF Industries by 9.5% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 18,942 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,635,000 after buying an additional 1,636 shares during the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its stake in CF Industries by 926.1% in the 3rd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 183,711 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $15,751,000 after purchasing an additional 165,808 shares during the period. Comerica Bank increased its stake in CF Industries by 133.8% in the 3rd quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 54,551 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,677,000 after purchasing an additional 31,215 shares during the period. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. bought a new stake in CF Industries in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,627,000. Finally, Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 25.4% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 133,439 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,608,000 after purchasing an additional 27,027 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.00, for a total transaction of $510,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 64,030 shares in the company, valued at $5,442,550. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.52%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.51%.

About CF Industries

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.