ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. Invests $2.47 Million in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. has invested approximately $2.47 million in CF Industries Holdings, acquiring 31,545 shares of the company during the first quarter.
• Analysts currently have a consensus rating of "Hold" for CF Industries with an average price target of $95.57, following various ratings adjustments from major firms.
• The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 2.4% for shareholders.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. purchased a new position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 31,545 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $2,465,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Curat Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in CF Industries by 119.8% in 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 boosted its stake in CF Industries by 114.1% during the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 379 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in CF Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 118.5% in the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 542 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CF has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 target price on shares of CF Industries and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Oppenheimer cut CF Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded CF Industries from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $75.00 to $92.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Barclays upped their price target on CF Industries from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on CF Industries from $103.00 to $101.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $95.57.

CF Industries Stock Down 7.6%

Shares of NYSE CF opened at $83.03 on Friday. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.34 and a 12-month high of $104.45. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $94.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $85.56. The company has a quick ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market cap of $14.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.84 and a beta of 0.94.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.02. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.19% and a return on equity of 17.26%. The company had revenue of $1.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.73 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.30 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

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

CF Industries declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 7th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the basic materials company to repurchase up to 14.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $8,812,522.29. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

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.

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