CF Industries Holdings, Inc.
For the period ended Apr 28, 2026. Filed Mar 17, 2026.
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Apr 28, 2026 · Filed Mar 17, 2026
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. )
| | Filed by the Registrant ☒ | | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ☐ | | |||
| | Check the appropriate box: | | |||
| | ☐ | | | Preliminary Proxy Statement | |
| | ☐ | | | Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) | |
| | ☒ | | | Definitive Proxy Statement | |
| | ☐ | | | Definitive Additional Materials | |
| | ☐ | | | Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 | |
CF INDUSTRIES HOLDINGS, INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
| | Payment of Filing Fee (Check all boxes that apply): | | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ☒ | | | No fee required. | |
| | ☐ | | | Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. | |
| | ☐ | | | Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11. | |
Proxy Statement
2026 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders
To our Shareholders:
On behalf of your Board of Directors, it is our privilege to invite you to attend the 2026 annual meeting of shareholders of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. to be held virtually on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Central time. At the annual meeting, shareholders will vote on the matters set forth in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement and any other business matters properly brought before the annual meeting. Whether or not you are able to attend the annual meeting, we encourage you to read the enclosed materials and submit your proxy.
2025 Performance
CF Industries’ results in 2025 reflected an outstanding operational performance by the CF Industries team, the enduring advantages of our manufacturing and distribution network, and constructive global nitrogen industry dynamics that have persisted into 2026. Net earnings attributable to common stockholders for the year were approximately $1.5 billion, or $8.97 per diluted share. EBITDA(1) was approximately $2.8 billion, and adjusted EBITDA(1) was approximately $2.9 billion.
Net cash from operations in 2025 was $2.75 billion and free cash flow(2) was approximately $1.8 billion. We returned $1.7 billion to shareholders in 2025. This included deploying over $1.3 billion to repurchase 16.6 million shares — approximately 10 percent of the outstanding shares at the beginning of the year — and $326 million returned through dividend payments to shareholders.
Creating Shareholder Value
Our goal for long-term shareholders is to create value by increasing your participation in CF Industries’ assets and the cash flow they generate.
We do this by investing where we win:
Growing our production base organically or inorganically.
Investing in our business to grow margin.
Reducing our outstanding share count.
Since 2020, this approach has increased your participation in our underlying assets by more than 35% and over the same time period delivered total shareholder return that exceeds the S&P 500 Index, Dow Jones U.S. Commodity Chemicals, and our peer fertilizer group.
What powers our approach is a proven ability to leverage our team’s consistently high level of execution into adjusted EBITDA and then convert that to substantial free cash flow. We expect to continue to do so by building upon the enduring competitive advantages we have developed over time and through our disciplined investments in our clean energy growth platform.
Our competitive advantages include the structural benefit from operating in North America, operational advantages built into our manufacturing and distribution network, the operational excellence we deliver year-in and year-out, and our disciplined approach to capital and corporate stewardship. We continue to invest in these attributes, which translate directly into our financial results, strong cash flow, and long-term shareholder value. Please see our 2025 Annual Report for more detail.
Our Clean Energy Growth Platform
In 2020, the Board and management adopted a strategic evolution for the Company to leverage our unique capabilities to accelerate the world’s transition to clean energy — to produce ammonia with lower carbon intensity (low-carbon ammonia). We believe by focusing on leading in low-carbon ammonia and upgraded nitrogen products, we will strengthen our competitive position and create new market opportunities, enabling significant growth in our free cash flow in the years ahead.
Our vision includes monetizing decarbonization projects to ensure a return for shareholders well above our cost of capital. It includes the production of low-carbon ammonia and other nitrogen upgrade products to sell at a premium to conventional products. And it includes the development of new demand for our products.
This vision is being realized today with structural benefits, operational advantages, and market opportunities (for example, low-carbon price premium) accruing to the Company and providing us with long-term sustainability, a significant return profile, and a product offering to existing and new customers.
In 2025 alone, we:
Completed the carbon capture project at our Donaldsonville Complex and a nitric acid abatement project at our Verdigris Complex.
Saw the emergence of low-carbon ammonia demand as we delivered the first sales of low-carbon ammonia at a premium and advanced collaborations to develop low-carbon ammonia and nitrogen fertilizer supply chains in North America.
Formed an innovative joint venture built on partnerships with global leaders to both build the world’s largest and most efficient low-carbon ammonia plant and develop demand for new applications of our products.
Our approach is underpinned by the Board and management’s shared commitment to disciplined investments in our clean energy initiatives. These will continue to be driven by our outlook for the global market environment, the return profile of projects, and our ability to mitigate risk through partnerships and collaborations.
Governance of CF Industries
The accompanying Proxy Statement describes CF Industries’ corporate governance policies and practices that foster the Board’s effective oversight of the Company’s business strategies and practices. We believe the Board’s leadership structure and the experience and skills of our directors has been, and continues to be, critical to our success.
This year, two directors will not stand for re-election following distinguished tenures on our Board (see sidebar for additional information). This includes Tony Will, who retired as president and chief executive officer in January 2026 after 12 outstanding years leading the Company. On behalf of the Board, we want to thank Tony for his outstanding leadership, his commitment to CF Industries’ employees, shareholders and communities, and his tremendous success guiding the Company through a period of evolution and growth. He was instrumental in shaping the Company’s strategic direction and high-performance culture and we are deeply grateful for his many years of contributions. We wish him the best in retirement.
| | | A Thank You to Our Retiring Chair | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | As noted to the left, two Board members are not standing for re-election in 2026. We wanted to make a special acknowledgement of Steve Hagge, who is retiring as Chair of the Board. | | |
| | | Steve has been a member of the Board since 2010 and Chair since the beginning of 2022. His commitment, dedication and insight have helped shape the industry leader CF Industries has become. He has also been a steady hand as Board Chair as we have navigated tumultuous global nitrogen industry conditions this decade. | | |
| | | We are grateful for the time we have worked with Steve, and we wish him all the best in his retirement. | | |
| | | Anne P. Noonan Chair (Elect) of the Board | | |
| | | Christopher D. Bohn President and Chief Executive Officer | | |
Our 11 director nominees in 2026 offer a broad set of qualifications and perspectives and possess a wealth of leadership and professional experience, which contributes to the Board’s effectiveness through its oversight of strategy, risk management, corporate governance and sustainability issues, as well as providing guidance that positions the Company for long-term success. Of the 11 director nominees, 10 are independent, which includes our Chair (Elect) of the Board and all committee chairs and members. More than a third of the director nominees have joined the Board in the last five years.
Building on our Momentum
CF Industries is a strong company at the forefront of the global ammonia and nitrogen industry — the world’s largest ammonia producer, the industry’s best operator, a global partner of choice, and a leader in total shareholder return. We believe our high-performing business, clean energy growth platform, and commitment to return capital to shareholders positions CF Industries well to continue to create value for long-term shareholders.
Thank you for your continued trust in CF Industries. We look forward to discussing our corporate performance in 2025 and our strategy and vision for the future when we gather virtually for our annual meeting on April 28, 2026.
| | Stephen J. Hagge Chair of the Board | | | Christopher D. Bohn President and Chief Executive Officer | |
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(1)
EBITDA is defined as net earnings attributable to common stockholders plus interest expense (income) — net, income taxes and depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA as reported is defined as EBITDA adjusted for selected items as shown in Appendix A. See Appendix A for reconciliations of EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA as reported to the most directly comparable GAAP measures.
(2)
Free cash flow is defined as net cash from operating activities, less capital expenditures and distributions to noncontrolling interests plus contributions from noncontrolling interests. See Appendix A for a reconciliation of free cash flow to the most directly comparable GAAP measure.
2375 Waterview Drive
Northbrook, IL 60062
Tel: 847.405.2400
cfindustries.com
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF
SHAREHOLDERS
| | Date and Time: | | | Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., Central time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Virtual Meeting: | | | The 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) will be conducted virtually at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CF2026 | |
| | Items of Business: | | | At the Annual Meeting, shareholders will be asked to: | |
| | | | | 1. elect the eleven director nominees named in the accompanying Proxy Statement; | |
| | | | | 2. consider and approve an advisory resolution regarding the compensation of our named executive officers (“Say on Pay”); | |
| | | | | 3. ratify the selection of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2026; | |
| | | | | 4. act upon one shareholder proposal regarding shareholder approval requirement for excessive golden parachutes, if properly presented at the Annual Meeting; and | |
| | | | | 5. consider any other business properly brought before the Annual Meeting. | |
| | Record Date: | | | You may vote at the Annual Meeting if you were a shareholder of record of our company as of the close of business on March 5, 2026. | |
| | Meeting Details: | | | To attend, and to vote and submit questions during, the Annual Meeting, visit www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CF2026 and enter the 16-digit control number on your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or your proxy card. Additional information regarding the Annual Meeting, including procedures for attending and participating in the virtual meeting, can be found on page 107. | |
| | Internet Availability of Proxy Materials: | | | Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on Tuesday, April 28, 2026: Our Proxy Statement and 2025 Annual Report are available free of charge at www.proxyvote.com. | |
Your vote is important. Please vote your shares promptly so that your shares will be represented whether or not you attend the Annual Meeting. To vote your shares, you may use the Internet as described on your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or your proxy card, call the toll-free telephone number listed on your proxy card or complete, sign, date, and return your proxy card. Submitting your proxy now will not prevent you from voting your shares during the Annual Meeting, as your proxy is revocable at your option.
By order of the board of directors,
Michael P. McGrane
Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.