CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Trading Down 5.5% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) fell 5.5% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $80.25 and last traded at $80.41. 2,651,697 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 18% from the average session volume of 2,255,197 shares. The stock had previously closed at $85.08.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lowered 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. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on CF Industries from $114.00 to $111.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Bank of America cut CF Industries from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $83.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of CF Industries in a report on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $77.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $92.43.

CF Industries Price Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average is $89.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $85.27. 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 firm has a market cap of $14.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 0.98.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.65%.

Insider Activity

In other CF Industries news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.00, for a total value of $264,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 103,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,077,640. This represents a 2.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $142,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 93,986 shares in the company, valued at $8,928,670. This trade represents a 1.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 25,389 shares of company stock worth $2,355,425. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of CF Industries

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 7,267 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $618,000 after buying an additional 1,495 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 55.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 382,334 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,619,000 after acquiring an additional 136,592 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in CF Industries by 23.4% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 595,274 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $50,789,000 after acquiring an additional 112,823 shares during the period. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. bought a new position in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of CF Industries by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 274,681 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $23,436,000 after purchasing an additional 65,987 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is 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.