CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Short Interest Up 8.5% in December

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) was the target of a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,090,000 shares, a growth of 8.5% from the November 30th total of 4,690,000 shares. Approximately 3.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,700,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on CF shares. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America cut CF Industries from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $83.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on CF Industries in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $114.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on CF Industries from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on CF Industries from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CF Industries currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $90.38.

CF Industries Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE:CF traded up $1.29 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $85.32. 1,181,841 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,030,705. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.50, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 2.52 and a current ratio of 2.81. The company has a fifty day moving average of $86.50 and a 200 day moving average of $81.42. CF Industries has a 12 month low of $69.13 and a 12 month high of $94.46.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.50. CF Industries had a net margin of 19.45% and a return on equity of 14.57%. The firm had revenue of $1.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that CF Industries will post 6.32 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries

In related news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 3,500 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.86, for a total transaction of $325,010.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 62,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,828,636.48. This trade represents a 5.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Ashraf K. Malik sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.78, for a total value of $635,460.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 22,211 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,016,314.58. The trade was a 23.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 22,701 shares of company stock valued at $2,052,704 in the last quarter. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CF Industries

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in CF Industries in the third quarter worth $3,149,000. AMG National Trust Bank bought a new position in CF Industries in the 3rd quarter worth $887,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its holdings in CF Industries by 118.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 15,991 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,372,000 after purchasing an additional 8,679 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB lifted its position in shares of CF Industries by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 271,198 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $23,269,000 after purchasing an additional 9,815 shares during the period. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 104.1% during the 3rd quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 31,111 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,669,000 after purchasing an additional 15,866 shares in the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.