CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Trading Down 4.2% – Should You Sell?

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)’s stock price fell 4.2% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $119.89 and last traded at $119.98. Approximately 684,351 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 3,483,533 shares. The stock had previously closed at $125.19.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CF. Zacks Research cut CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Freedom Capital raised CF Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on CF Industries from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Scotiabank raised CF Industries from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $120.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on CF Industries from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $116.69.

CF Industries Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $114.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $112.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 3.15 and a current ratio of 3.54. The company has a market capitalization of $18.19 billion, a PE ratio of 10.65 and a beta of 0.40.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is an increase from CF Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. CF Industries’s payout ratio is presently 21.56%.

Institutional Trading of CF Industries

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Himension Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. WPG Advisers LLC lifted its stake in CF Industries by 69.8% during the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 552 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in CF Industries in the second quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.