Zacks Research Predicts Increased Earnings for CF Industries

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) – Analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for CF Industries in a research report issued on Monday, March 2nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the basic materials company will post earnings of $2.08 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.81. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for CF Industries’ current full-year earnings is $5.83 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for CF Industries’ FY2026 earnings at $7.50 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $103.00 target price on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. HSBC dropped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $95.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on CF Industries from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $96.87.

CF Industries Stock Up 1.9%

NYSE CF opened at $106.25 on Wednesday. CF Industries has a 12 month low of $67.34 and a 12 month high of $109.59. The company has a current ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $16.33 billion, a PE ratio of 11.81 and a beta of 0.68. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $89.44 and its 200 day moving average is $85.83.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.The firm’s revenue was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CF. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its position in CF Industries by 24.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 95,289 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $8,767,000 after purchasing an additional 18,666 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of CF Industries by 11.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 232,647 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $20,868,000 after buying an additional 23,942 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CF Industries during the third quarter valued at approximately $677,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 878.2% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 17,941 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,609,000 after buying an additional 16,107 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 5.9% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 276,542 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,442,000 after buying an additional 15,291 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CF Industries news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 3,215 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $311,855.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 87,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,522,517. The trade was a 3.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.22%.

Key Headlines Impacting CF Industries

Here are the key news stories impacting CF Industries this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical supply risk is lifting fertilizer pricing expectations — concerns about seaborne disruptions in the Middle East (a meaningful exporter of urea) are being cited as a catalyst for tighter near‑term nitrogen availability and higher benchmark fertilizer prices. CF Industries rises as investors price in tighter global nitrogen supply and higher fertilizer pricing risk
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $120 and kept an Overweight rating, providing a notable institutional endorsement that can attract buy-side flows and supports the rally. Barclays adjusts price target on CF Industries to $120
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other research updates raised near‑term EPS estimates and FY forecasts (multiple quarterly upgrades and a higher FY2028 outlook), which reinforces expectations for stronger earnings and cash flow if fertilizer prices remain elevated. CF Industries Benefits From Strong Nitrogen Demand and Higher Prices
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional activity is mixed — several large managers trimmed positions materially in Q4 while others (e.g., Dimensional, Norges Bank) added shares; this creates both selling pressure and pockets of structural demand. Quiver Quant institutional holdings detail
• Neutral Sentiment: Mentions in market roundups (Final Trades) keep the name visible to active traders but contain no new company‑specific catalyst. Final Trades: Lockheed Martin, Netflix and CF Industries
• Negative Sentiment: Rising natural‑gas costs are pressuring CF’s manufacturing margins — higher feedstock energy costs can offset some revenue gains from stronger fertilizer prices. CF Industries Benefits From Strong Nitrogen Demand and Higher Prices
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and a number of large institutional reductions are visible in recent filings — these disclosures can create near‑term selling pressure or signal profit‑taking despite the positive macro backdrop. Quiver Quant insider and institutional activity
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains mixed — while some targets were raised, the recent median target sits below the current price, indicating a split view on sustainability of upside. Quiver Quant analyst targets summary

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.