CF Industries (CF) Halts Operations at its UK Facilities – Entrepreneur

This story originally appeared on Zacks

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. CF recently announced that it is halting operations at both its Billingham and Ince, UK, manufacturing facilities due to high natural gas prices. The company does not have an estimate for when production will resume at these complexes.

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The company is exposed to headwinds stemming from higher natural gas costs. CF Industries encountered higher year-over-year costs during first-half 2021. Natural gas cost was $3.24 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) in the first half of 2021, up from $2.20 per MMBtu in the year-ago period. The increase was partly driven by higher natural gas costs in the UK and increased gas prices in North America stemming from the severe winter weather.

The company expects natural gas costs to increase year over year in 2021. As such, higher natural gas costs may raise its cost of sales and hurt margins.

Shares of CF Industries have gained 53.9% in the past year compared with a 53.5% rise of the industry.

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CF Industries, in its last earnings call, stated that it expects nitrogen pricing to be positive as higher economic activities, the need to replenish coarse grains stocks globally and increased energy prices in Europe and Asia are expected to sustain a tighter global nitrogen supply as well as demand balance into 2023.

The global demand for nitrogen is also strong, the company noted. It expects strong global demand for coarse grains to contribute to sustained low global stocks into 2022, supporting strong nitrogen demand in the upcoming years. An increase in economic activities has also contributed to higher industrial consumption of nitrogen products.

CF Industries currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space are Nucor Corporation NUE, The Chemours Company CC and Olin Corporation OLN.

Nucor has a projected earnings growth rate of around 508% for the current year. The companys shares have soared 112.1% in a year. It currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Chemours has an expected earnings growth rate of around 86.4% for the current year. The companys shares have gained 38.6% in the past year. It currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Olin has an expected earnings growth rate of around 639.3% for the current fiscal. The companys shares have surged 265.3% in the past year. It currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1.

5 Stocks Set to Double

Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2021. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%.

Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free reportNucor Corporation (NUE): Free Stock Analysis ReportCF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF): Free Stock Analysis ReportOlin Corporation (OLN): Free Stock Analysis ReportThe Chemours Company (CC): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research

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CF Industries (CF) Halts Operations at its UK Facilities - Entrepreneur