Analysts Offer Insights on Consumer Goods Companies: CF Industries (CF) and Sonoco Products (SON)


Analysts fell to the sidelines weighing in on CF Industries (CF) and Sonoco Products (SON) with neutral ratings, indicating that the experts are neither bullish nor bearish on the stocks.

CF Industries (CF)

In a report released today, Duffy Fischer from Barclays maintained a Hold rating on CF Industries, with a price target of $50. The company’s shares opened today at $42.72.

Fischer wrote:

“We think this dynamic is well understood by the market with Nutrien providing similar commentary with its results last week. Over the course of 2019, CF remains constructive on the nitrogen market due to: a) incremental net global nitrogen capacity will grow below the historical nitrogen demand growth rate b) part of that new capacity (1.2MMT) may be delayed due to U. S. sanctions on Iran, c) Chinese exports remaining in the 2-3MMT range (~2.4MMT in 2018) and d) solid demand from India and Brazil. CF expects ~12MMT of urea imports between these two countries in 2019, which would be at a similar volume level to 2018. We think average realized pricing could be softer in the back half of 2019, especially 3Q y/y, than consensus has modeled. CF announced a new $1B share repurchase program through 2021.”

According to TipRanks.com, Fischer is a 4-star analyst with an average return of 13.6% and a 60.9% success rate. Fischer covers the Consumer Goods sector, focusing on stocks such as Sherwin-Williams Company, Axalta Coating Systems, and Venator Materials Plc.

The word on The Street in general, suggests a Moderate Buy analyst consensus rating for CF Industries with a $55.67 average price target, representing a 30.3% upside. In a report issued on February 4, Credit Suisse also maintained a Hold rating on the stock with a $46 price target.

See today’s analyst top recommended stocks >>

Sonoco Products (SON)

In a report released today, Scott Gaffner from Barclays maintained a Hold rating on Sonoco Products, with a price target of $58. The company’s shares opened today at $60.30, close to its 52-week high of $61.79.

According to TipRanks.com, Gaffner is a 4-star analyst with an average return of 8.4% and a 61.7% success rate. Gaffner covers the Consumer Goods sector, focusing on stocks such as International Paper Co, Silgan Holdings, and Ardagh Group SA.

The word on The Street in general, suggests a Hold analyst consensus rating for Sonoco Products with a $59 average price target, which is a -2.2% downside from current levels. In a report issued on February 4, Merrill Lynch also maintained a Hold rating on the stock with a $59 price target.

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