Earnest Partners LLC Boosts Stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Earnest Partners LLC raised its stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,248,740 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 71,512 shares during the quarter. CF Industries comprises approximately 0.9% of Earnest Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Earnest Partners LLC owned 1.29% of CF Industries worth $191,862,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CF. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 50.8% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 478 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC increased its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 422.0% in the fourth quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 569 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.06% of the company's stock.

CF Industries Stock Down 1.7 %

CF stock traded down $1.37 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $78.42. The stock had a trading volume of 2,444,766 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,104,977. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $67.34 and a 52-week high of $98.25. The firm has a market cap of $13.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.58, 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 has a 50-day moving average of $76.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $83.45.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.40. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.52% and a return on equity of 15.50%. The company had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.50 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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 given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is 29.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of CF Industries from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of CF Industries from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $90.00 to $79.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of CF Industries from $95.00 to $87.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $89.29.

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.