CF Industries Holdings, Inc. · CF · FY2024 Q4 · Calendar Q1 2025

CF Industries: Tight Nitrogen Market, Low-Carbon Execution in Focus

The supplied analysis supports a constructive operating thesis: tight nitrogen supply-demand conditions and low inventories may support demand and pricing, while low-carbon projects and capital returns add potential support. The main counterweights are commodity volatility, project execution and policy risks.

Reported After market closeNYSEBasic Materials $17.83B market cap
80quality score

Earnings scorecard

Reported versus consensus
Reported EPS — Consensus $1.49
EPS surprise — Reported versus consensus
Reported revenue — Consensus $1.50B
Revenue surprise — Reported versus consensus

Market reaction

event-close to next-session close
Stock move -4.2% Event window
SPY move -0.4% Same window
Abnormal move -3.8% Stock minus SPY
Volume 1.8× Versus trailing sessions
Subsequent drift -4.2% Up to 20 sessions
CFSPY benchmark

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Transcript intelligence

What changed

Relative to the prior-quarter analysis, the current analysis emphasizes 2024 cash generation and shareholder returns, continued tight nitrogen fundamentals, progress toward Donaldsonville carbon capture start-up, and a Blue Point investment decision targeted for Q1 2025.

Guidance delta

Maintained; no new numeric guidance was supplied.

Key takeaways

  • Management described tight global nitrogen fundamentals, low inventories and strong fertilizer demand as supports for 2025.
  • Low-carbon initiatives advanced, including Donaldsonville carbon capture and the planned Blue Point final investment decision.
  • Capital allocation balances growth capex, continued buybacks and funding flexibility for Blue Point.

Management priorities

  • Advance Donaldsonville carbon capture and low-carbon ammonia projects.
  • Pursue Blue Point financing, partnerships and offtake while controlling construction costs.
  • Continue share repurchases and expand low-carbon ammonia marketing.

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Earnings History

Estimate Beat Miss Match
CF EPS earnings history estimate and actual scatter chart 9 reported fiscal quarters and 3 future estimate-only quarters. Q4 '23 estimate $1.57 Q4 '23 actual $1.58, match Q1 '24 estimate $1.52 Q1 '24 actual $0.90, miss Q2 '24 estimate $1.84 Q2 '24 actual $2.30, beat Q3 '24 estimate $1.18 Q3 '24 actual $1.34, beat Q2 '25 estimate $2.50 Q2 '25 actual $2.37, miss Q3 '25 estimate $2.16 Q3 '25 actual $2.19, beat Q4 '25 estimate $2.43 Q4 '25 actual $2.99, beat Q1 '26 estimate $2.63 Q1 '26 actual $3.99, beat Q2 '26 estimate $5.63 Q2 '26 actual $4.73, miss Q3 '26 estimate $3.03 Q4 '26 estimate $3.59 Q1 '27 estimate $3.37
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Analyst Consensus ?

ConsensusHold41 ratings
Bullish2048.8%
Neutral1536.6%
Bearish614.6%

Analyst 52W Price Targets

$116.02Previous close
$59.5Low
$101.12Average
$162High

Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted previous close from FN2's market snapshot as of Oct 7, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.

Firm-level rating actions

FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.

FirmRatingPrior ratingActionDate
Rothschild & Co Neutral SellUpgradeSep 28, 2026
Scotiabank Sector Outperform Sector OutperformMaintainAug 10, 2026
UBS Neutral NeutralMaintainAug 7, 2026
RBC Capital Sector Perform Sector PerformMaintainJul 17, 2026
Morgan Stanley Equal Weight Equal WeightMaintainJul 7, 2026
Show 36 more rating actions

Named analyst price targets

Upside is calculated against the persisted previous close $116.02. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.

FirmAnalyst52W targetPrice when postedUpsideDate
Redburn PartnersMazahir Mammadli$110$114.67 -5.2%Sep 28, 2026
BernsteinAnalyst unavailable$162$118.43 +39.6%Sep 25, 2026
KeyBancSalvator Tiano$115$135.11 -0.9%Sep 10, 2026
ScotiabankAnalyst unavailable$130$114.35 +12.0%Aug 10, 2026
UBSLucas Beaumont$123$116.73 +6.0%Aug 7, 2026
See 60 more

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Company context

Snapshot as of publication

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. is a global producer and distributor of hydrogen and nitrogen-based products. These essential chemicals serve a variety of purposes worldwide, including energy generation, agricultural fertilization, environmental emissions reduction, and numerous other industrial applications. The company's core product lineup features vital nitrogen compounds such as anhydrous ammonia, granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), and different forms of ammonium nitrate. In addition to these primary offerings, CF Industries also provides specialized chemicals like diesel exhaust fluid, urea liquor, nitric acid, and aqua ammonia, alongside complex fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Its diverse customer base includes agricultural cooperatives, independent fertilizer distributors, commodity traders, wholesalers, and a wide array of industrial end-users. Founded in 1946, the firm is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois.

Historical context

All CF earnings

Basic Materials peers this season

Latest reports in the same sector
CompanyQuarterEPS surpriseMarket moveHeadline
RPM RPM International Inc. FY2027 Q1 · Calendar Q4 2026 +1.5% +3.2% RPM posts record quarter, but input costs narrow the outlook
HMY Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited FY2026 Q4 · Calendar Q3 2026 0.0% -6.2% Harmony Gold posts record FY2026 while Eva Copper risks remain

Latest beats and misses

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Sources

  1. Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
  2. FN2 earnings calendar · 2025-02-05T00:02:40.001238+00:00
  3. Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-10-07T08:40:42.082690+00:00
  4. Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-10-07T08:40:42.079253+00:00

Methodology

Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.

Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.

Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.

By FN2 Research · Updated · As of 2026-10-07. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.