National Bank of Canada FI Increases Stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 130,575 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 6,191 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned 0.08% of CF Industries worth $11,140,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its stake in shares of CF Industries by 50.8% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 478 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC raised its position in shares of CF Industries by 422.0% during the 4th quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 569 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 460 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 576 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on CF. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on CF Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on CF Industries from $114.00 to $111.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Bank of America raised CF Industries from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of CF Industries from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $82.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $89.86.

CF Industries Stock Performance

NYSE:CF opened at $72.91 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.36 billion, a PE ratio of 10.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 3.08 and a quick ratio of 2.52. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $80.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $85.03. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $69.13 and a 12 month high of $98.25.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.50 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 15.50% and a net margin of 20.52%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. CF Industries’s payout ratio is 29.54%.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In related news, VP Ashraf K. Malik sold 8,889 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 15,871 shares in the company, valued at $1,507,745. The trade was a 35.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 1,500 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.00, for a total value of $144,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 92,486 shares in the company, valued at $8,878,656. This trade represents a 1.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 11,889 shares of company stock worth $1,130,955. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

CF Industries Company Profile

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.