Vanguard Group Inc. Has $1.51 Billion Stock Holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 19,561,463 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 206,744 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.13% of CF Industries worth $1,512,884,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lakewood Asset Management LLC raised its stake in CF Industries by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Lakewood Asset Management LLC now owns 12,371 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $957,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in CF Industries by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $183,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in CF Industries by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,898 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. increased its holdings in CF Industries by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 2,720 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $210,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its holdings in CF Industries by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 8,408 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $754,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

CF Industries Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of CF stock opened at $124.58 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $119.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.52. The company has a quick ratio of 2.93, a current ratio of 3.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of $19.14 billion, a PE ratio of 13.84 and a beta of 0.52. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.42 and a 12-month high of $141.96.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 19.84%. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 12.41 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.22%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.50, for a total value of $427,089.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,161 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,232,256.50. This trade represents a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 6,184 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.33, for a total transaction of $676,096.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 34,535 shares in the company, valued at $3,775,711.55. This trade represents a 15.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 82,408 shares of company stock valued at $9,971,298. 0.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on CF Industries from $95.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce raised their price objective on CF Industries from $118.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on CF Industries from $95.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded CF Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on CF Industries from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $118.53.

CF Industries Company Profile

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.