CCM Investment Group LLC Makes New $1.30 Million Investment in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Key Points

• CCM Investment Group LLC acquired 16,809 shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc., valued at approximately $1,301,000, during the first quarter.
• CF Industries recently announced a $0.50 quarterly dividend with a yield of 2.5%, set to be paid on August 29th, following a share repurchase authorization of $2.00 billion.
• Several brokerages downgraded CF Industries, resulting in an average stock rating of "Hold" with a consensus target price of $95.23.

CCM Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 16,809 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,301,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 21.8% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,356 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,122,000 after purchasing an additional 2,572 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 119.8% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 378 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 1,497.3% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 109,240 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $8,537,000 after purchasing an additional 102,401 shares in the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,716,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 62.2% in the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 720 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.06% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of CF Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Scotiabank reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $82.00 price objective (up previously from $81.00) on shares of CF Industries in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of CF Industries from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $75.00 to $92.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price objective on shares of CF Industries and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $94.77.

Insider Activity at CF Industries

In other news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.23, for a total transaction of $1,002,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 87,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,812,522.29. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

CF Industries Trading Up 0.2%

CF Industries stock traded up $0.20 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $82.83. 3,519,988 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,639,376. The company has a quick ratio of 2.84, a current ratio of 3.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $67.34 and a 12 month high of $104.45. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $93.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.81 and a beta of 0.94.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.02. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.19% and a return on equity of 17.10%. The firm had revenue of $1.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.73 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.30 EPS. The company's revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.11%.

CF Industries announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, May 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the basic materials company to buy up to 14.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.