AQR Capital Management LLC Acquires 492,846 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in CF Industries by 113.1% in the first quarter, acquiring an additional 492,846 shares to reach a total of 928,701 shares.
• CF Industries reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter, exceeding expectations and showing a 20.2% increase in revenue compared to the same period last year.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, representing a 2.4% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 26.11%.

AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 113.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 928,701 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 492,846 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.55% of CF Industries worth $72,123,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Curat Global LLC acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in CF Industries during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in CF Industries by 119.8% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 378 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 114.1% in the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 379 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CF Industries in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of CF traded up $2.55 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $87.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,265,178 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,726,600. 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 one year low of $67.34 and a one year high of $104.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.38 and a beta of 0.95. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $89.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.21.

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

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.11%.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of the business'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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 87,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,812,522.29. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of CF Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Zacks Research lowered CF Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded CF Industries from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $75.00 to $92.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Barclays raised CF Industries from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $100.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price target on shares of CF Industries and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, CF Industries presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $95.00.

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.