CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest fell 19.1% in March to 7,247,861 shares (about 4.7% of float), leaving a short-interest ratio of just 1.1 days based on average daily volume.
• CF posted a quarterly EPS beat of $2.59 versus $2.53 expected and revenue of $1.87 billion (up 22.8% YoY), with analysts projecting roughly 5.83 EPS for the fiscal year and the stock trading at a P/E of ~13.8 on a $19.1B market cap.
• Several firms raised targets (e.g., Morgan Stanley to $135, BNP Paribas to $140) and Wall Street Zen upgraded CF to a buy, but consensus remains mixed with an average target of $114.87 and an overall "Hold" rating.

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 7,247,861 shares, a decrease of 19.1% from the March 15th total of 8,953,874 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 6,849,071 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.1 days. Approximately 4.7% of the shares of the company are short sold.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of CF Industries stock traded up $3.68 during trading on Thursday, hitting $124.49. 2,618,425 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,277,124. The company has a quick ratio of 2.93, a current ratio of 3.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $19.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.52. The firm's fifty day moving average is $114.44 and its 200-day moving average is $94.31. CF Industries has a 52 week low of $73.56 and a 52 week high of $141.96.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.The company's revenue was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.89 EPS. Research analysts expect that CF Industries will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is 22.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on CF Industries from $95.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce upped their target price on CF Industries from $100.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their target price on CF Industries from $95.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded CF Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $114.87.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In other news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.06, for a total transaction of $2,454,658.46. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 55,762 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,586,977.72. This represents a 24.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.50, for a total value of $427,089.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,161 shares in the company, valued at $2,232,256.50. This represents a 16.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 82,408 shares of company stock worth $9,971,298 over the last quarter. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CF. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in CF Industries by 78.0% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 292 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in CF Industries by 396.2% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 387 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new position in CF Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Peterson Wealth Services grew its position in CF Industries by 451.3% during the 3rd quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in CF Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CF Industries Company Profile

CF Industries Holdings, Inc is a leading global manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products for agricultural and industrial customers. The company specializes in the production of ammonia, granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), nitric acid and ammonium nitrate, which serve as key inputs for fertilizer blends, industrial chemicals and other downstream applications.

Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, CF Industries operates production facilities and distribution terminals across North America and the United Kingdom.

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