Crestline Management LP Acquires New Position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Crestline Management LP bought a new position in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 45,235 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $3,859,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Korea Investment CORP boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 88.5% during the fourth quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 150,374 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $12,830,000 after purchasing an additional 70,585 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 2,848.4% during the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 290,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $24,776,000 after buying an additional 280,535 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth $51,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of CF Industries by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,792,339 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $494,202,000 after acquiring an additional 225,109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of CF Industries by 14.4% during 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 during the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on CF. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $86.00 price objective for the company. BNP Paribas upgraded CF Industries to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Scotiabank upgraded CF Industries from a "sector underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $81.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Bank of America upgraded CF Industries from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $95.00 to $87.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $89.50.

CF Industries Stock Performance

CF stock traded up $1.07 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $83.48. 1,155,391 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,682,321. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $76.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.22. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $14.15 billion, a PE ratio of 12.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.94. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.34 and a 1-year high of $98.25.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.38. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.52% and a return on equity of 15.50%. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.53 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.03 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, May 7th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the basic materials company to purchase up to 14.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.35%.

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.