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Mar 31, 2020

CF Industries Q1 2020 Earnings Report

CF Industries' financial performance remained strong, demonstrating resilience through efficient operations and strategic capital management.

Key Takeaways

CF Industries reported net earnings of $68 million for the first quarter of 2020, with an adjusted EBITDA of $318 million. The company focused on maintaining safe and efficient operations while navigating a commercial environment marked by lower average selling prices.

Net earnings for the first quarter were $68 million, or $0.31 per diluted share.

EBITDA reached $314 million and adjusted EBITDA was $318 million.

The company achieved its lowest recordable incident rate, highlighting safe operations.

Approximately 2.6 million shares were repurchased for $100 million during the quarter.

Total Revenue
$971M
Previous year: $1B
-3.0%
EPS
$0.31
Previous year: $0.4
-22.5%
Gross Profit
$204M
Previous year: $220M
-7.3%
Cash and Equivalents
$753M
Previous year: $671M
+12.2%
Free Cash Flow
$912M
Previous year: $226M
+303.5%
Total Assets
$12.4B
Previous year: $12.9B
-3.9%

CF Industries

CF Industries

Forward Guidance

CF Industries anticipates positive near-term global nitrogen demand driven by increased planted corn and coarse grains in 2020. The company expects North American nitrogen production to remain at the low-end of the global cost curve due to access to low-cost natural gas.

Positive Outlook

  • Favorable planting conditions in the U.S.
  • Farm-level income support.
  • Strongest April movement of ammonia for spring fertilizer application since April 2015.
  • Expected higher demand for urea in Brazil in 2020.
  • North American nitrogen production expected to remain at the low-end of the global cost curve.

Challenges Ahead

  • COVID-19 impact on nitrogen demand for industrial applications.
  • Uncertainty regarding factors influencing farmers’ planting decisions in 2021.
  • Potential delays in new nitrogen capacity projects due to labor and equipment issues.
  • Possible less favorable growing conditions in India affecting urea tender volumes.
  • Announced outages include nitrogen facilities in India and France