CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CF - News) has leading market shares in many key fertilizers. Strong domestic and international grain markets have produced an exceptionally high global demand for fertilizer, translating into substantially higher selling prices for all the products.
The company is optimistic about its phosphate business where the market is expected to remain tight near term due to healthy offshore demand growth in India and Brazil as well as higher application rates in the U.S. This is likely to lead to higher prices and cash margins for various fertilizers.
In addition, the company is likely to benefit from the proposed nitrogen facility in Peru, which will address the nitrogen demand on the west coast of Central and South America as well as Mexico, which does not have a nitrogen facility. As a result, we rate the shares a Buy with a target of $130.
On July 28, CF Industries Holdings reported net earnings of $5.02 per diluted share for the second quarter of 2008 versus $1.65 for the same quarter a year ago. The sharp increase was primarily driven by higher nitrogen and phosphate prices. Net sales totaled $1.16 billion, up 37% from the year-earlier quarter.
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