CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Short Interest Up 17.1% in January

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,400,000 shares, an increase of 17.1% from the January 15th total of 4,610,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,980,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days. Currently, 3.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CF Industries news, VP Ashraf K. Malik sold 8,889 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total value of $844,455.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 15,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,507,745. This trade represents a 35.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.86, for a total value of $325,010.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 62,768 shares in the company, valued at $5,828,636.48. The trade was a 5.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 25,389 shares of company stock worth $2,355,425 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CF Industries

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 4th quarter valued at about $74,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,149,000. AMG National Trust Bank bought a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at about $887,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $1,372,000 after acquiring an additional 8,679 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 171,807 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $14,543,000 after acquiring an additional 21,632 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

CF Industries Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of CF traded up $0.99 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $82.45. The stock had a trading volume of 2,192,069 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,209,661. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $88.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $85.27. CF Industries has a twelve month low of $69.13 and a twelve month high of $98.25. The firm has a market cap of $14.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 2.81 and a quick ratio of 2.52.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is 31.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays downgraded CF Industries from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $96.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on CF Industries in a research note on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $77.00 price target on the stock. Scotiabank reissued a “sector underperform” rating and issued a $88.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded CF Industries from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $100.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded CF Industries from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $82.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $92.43.

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.