While the war between Russia and Ukraine remains the most influential factor in the outlook for fertilizer supply and prices, Scotiabank (TSX:BNS) analyst Ben Isaacson made significant changes in his stock coverage. On Monday, the analyst downgraded red-hot fertilizer stocks CF Industries (NYSE:CF) and Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR) to Sector Perform from Sector Outperform. While the good times are not over, he doesn't see a lot of upside in the stocks given their run-ups.
"It's hard to see continued outperformance of most names mid-term," Isaacson said. In fact, the only remaining fertilizer producer they believe investors should continue accumulating is K+S.
"We would not be surprised to see the North American equities pull back a little in the summer, especially if/when prices begin to roll over following the spring demand surge (panic)," Isaacson commented. "In other words, we see better entry points for CF, MOS, and NTR later in the year. For North American investment mandates, NTR remains our preferred name."
Shares of CF are down 4% in early trading, while NTR is down 3%.