Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Acquires New Holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management S.A. has acquired a new stake in CF Industries Holdings, purchasing 113,488 shares valued at approximately $10.4 million.
• CF Industries recently reported a 20.2% increase in quarterly revenue year-over-year, with earnings per share (EPS) of $2.37, exceeding analysts' estimates.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50, representing an annualized yield of 2.3% and a payout ratio of 26.11%.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 113,488 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $10,441,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.07% of CF Industries as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its position in shares of CF Industries by 1.3% during the first quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 8,727 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $682,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Rowlandmiller & PARTNERS.ADV grew its stake in shares of CF Industries by 4.1% in the second quarter. Rowlandmiller & PARTNERS.ADV now owns 3,325 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of CF Industries by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,192 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $562,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc. increased its position in CF Industries by 3.5% during the first quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 4,624 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,425 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $111,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CF Industries Trading Up 1.6%

NYSE:CF opened at $86.98 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $14.09 billion, a PE ratio of 11.35 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 3.22 and a quick ratio of 2.84. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $67.34 and a one year high of $104.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $87.60 and a 200-day moving average of $85.75.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.89 billion for 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.30 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on CF shares. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price objective on CF Industries and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Barclays raised shares of CF Industries from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $100.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Scotiabank restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $82.00 price objective (up previously from $81.00) on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Monday, August 11th. HSBC reduced their target price on CF Industries from $104.00 to $95.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on CF Industries from $103.00 to $101.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $95.00.

About CF Industries

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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