35,882 Shares in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF Purchased by Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.

Key Points

• Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. opened a new position in CF Industries during the fourth quarter, buying 35,882 shares worth about $2.77 million.
• CF Industries recently beat earnings expectations, posting $3.98 EPS on $1.99 billion in revenue, both ahead of analyst estimates, with revenue up 19.4% year over year.
• The stock has drawn mixed Wall Street views: analysts’ consensus rating remains Hold, with an average price target of $117.69, while CF also recently paid a $0.50 quarterly dividend yielding about 1.8%.

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 35,882 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $2,774,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CF. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 232,647 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $20,868,000 after acquiring an additional 23,942 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 878.2% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 17,941 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,609,000 after acquiring an additional 16,107 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 369,321 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $33,128,000 after acquiring an additional 61,140 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,170,171 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $90,501,000 after acquiring an additional 248,020 shares during the period. Finally, AIA Group Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $376,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of CF Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of CF Industries from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $117.69.

CF Industries Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:CF opened at $113.41 on Tuesday. The company's 50 day moving average is $123.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.89. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.42 and a 52 week high of $141.96. The company has a current ratio of 3.54, a quick ratio of 3.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market cap of $17.42 billion, a PE ratio of 10.19 and a beta of 0.38.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by $1.35. The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 23.73% and a return on equity of 20.93%. The company's revenue was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. Equities analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 15.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.97%.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In related news, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of the 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 of the company's stock, valued at $2,232,256.50. This trade represents a 16.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.01, for a total transaction of $1,190,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 87,256 shares in the company, valued at $10,384,336.56. This trade represents a 10.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 72,513 shares of company stock worth $8,952,781. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

CF Industries 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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