CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Shares Gap Down – Here’s What Happened

Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $124.90, but opened at $115.22. CF Industries shares last traded at $117.9350, with a volume of 1,298,583 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on CF shares. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of CF Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, December 14th. Zacks Research cut shares of CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $101.73.

CF Industries Stock Up 5.6%

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $101.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $89.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.49 billion, a PE ratio of 14.10 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 3.37 and a quick ratio of 2.93.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.89 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CF Industries news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.00, for a total value of $756,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 69,472 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,753,472. This trade represents a 7.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 3,499 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.38, for a total transaction of $438,704.62. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 31,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,891,293.68. This trade represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 82,408 shares of company stock valued at $9,971,298 in the last 90 days. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 78.0% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 292 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of CF Industries by 396.2% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 387 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares during the period. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in CF Industries in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in CF Industries by 46.3% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Peterson Wealth Services lifted its position in CF Industries by 451.3% during the 3rd quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

About CF Industries

CF Industries Holdings, Inc is a leading global manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products for agricultural and industrial customers. The company specializes in the production of ammonia, granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), nitric acid and ammonium nitrate, which serve as key inputs for fertilizer blends, industrial chemicals and other downstream applications.

Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, CF Industries operates production facilities and distribution terminals across North America and the United Kingdom.