DnB Asset Management AS Raises Stock Position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

DnB Asset Management AS lifted its stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 36,831 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 1,386 shares during the period. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $3,142,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of CF Industries by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,792,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $494,202,000 after purchasing an additional 225,109 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in CF Industries by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,487,821 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $382,901,000 after buying an additional 299,173 shares during the period. Boston Partners increased its position in CF Industries by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,316,616 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $283,044,000 after buying an additional 216,395 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in CF Industries in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $131,350,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,460,993 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $124,652,000 after acquiring an additional 68,164 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CF Industries Price Performance

CF stock opened at $78.11 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $13.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.54, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 3.08, a quick ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $82.11 and a 200-day moving average of $85.15. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.56%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CF has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $86.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of CF Industries from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $82.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group lowered their price target on CF Industries from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on CF Industries from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded CF Industries from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $89.86.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CF Industries news, VP Ashraf K. Malik sold 8,889 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $844,455.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 15,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,507,745. This trade represents a 35.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 92,486 shares in the company, valued at $8,878,656. This represents a 1.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 11,889 shares of company stock worth $1,130,955. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

CF Industries 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.