13,029,812 Shares in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF Acquired by BlackRock Inc.

Key Points

• BlackRock acquired 13.03 million CF Industries shares in the second quarter, worth approximately $1.41 billion and representing an 8.48% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 93.06% of the company.
• CF Industries reported quarterly EPS of $4.73, below the $5.63 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 17.6% year over year to $2.22 billion. Shares were recently trading at $125.68, up 5.6%.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend from $0.50 to $0.60 per share, or $2.40 annually, yielding about 1.9%. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $116.56.

BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 13,029,812 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,410,607,000. BlackRock Inc. owned about 8.48% of CF Industries as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CF. Himension Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. purchased a new stake in CF Industries during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 36.6% during the 1st quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 418 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 39.6% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 430 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the second quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of CF Industries by 46.3% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company's stock.

CF Industries Trading Up 5.6%

Shares of NYSE CF opened at $125.68 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 4.86, a quick ratio of 4.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.02 billion, a PE ratio of 9.32, a PEG ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.39. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.42 and a twelve month high of $141.96. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $115.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $115.57.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.63 by ($0.90). The business had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.45 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 24.41% and a net margin of 27.12%.CF Industries's quarterly revenue was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.37 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 13.85 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is a positive change from CF Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CF has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of CF Industries in a report on Monday, June 29th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of CF Industries from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of CF Industries from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of CF Industries from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on shares of CF Industries from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CF Industries presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $116.56.

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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