CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Shares Sold by New York State Teachers Retirement System

New York State Teachers Retirement System lessened its holdings in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 3.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 164,715 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 5,610 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.10% of CF Industries worth $12,872,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CF. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,356 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,122,000 after buying an additional 2,572 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP grew its position in CF Industries by 88.5% in the fourth quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 150,374 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $12,830,000 after acquiring an additional 70,585 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 119.8% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 378 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 1,497.3% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 109,240 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $8,537,000 after purchasing an additional 102,401 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries

In related news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.23, for a total value of $1,002,300.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 87,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,812,522.29. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on CF shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $79.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Scotiabank raised CF Industries from a “sector underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $81.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays boosted their price target on CF Industries from $87.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on CF Industries in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $86.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price objective on CF Industries and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $91.79.

CF Industries Stock Performance

CF stock opened at $93.78 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.34 and a 12-month high of $104.45. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $89.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.70. The firm has a market cap of $15.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.36 and a beta of 0.96.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.38. CF Industries had a net margin of 21.80% and a return on equity of 17.39%. The business had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.03 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the basic materials company to repurchase up to 14.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.35%.

About CF Industries

CF Industries Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of hydrogen and nitrogen products for energy, fertilizer, emissions abatement, and other industrial activities in North America, Europe, and internationally. It operates through Ammonia, Granular Urea, UAN, AN, and Other segments.