Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Purchases 112,696 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management increased its CF Industries stake by 73.3%, purchasing 112,696 shares to own 266,401 shares valued at approximately $28.8 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 93.06% of the company.
• CF Industries is beginning construction on its approximately $4 billion Blue Point blue ammonia project and is targeting roughly $3.3 billion in mid-cycle EBITDA by 2030, with a potential second blue ammonia plant also under consideration.
• Near-term results were weaker than expected: second-quarter EPS came in at $4.73 versus the $5.63 consensus, while revenue missed estimates due to lower volumes and a Yazoo City outage. The company nonetheless raised its quarterly dividend to $0.60 per share, yielding about 2.1%.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 73.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 266,401 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 112,696 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.17% of CF Industries worth $28,841,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in CF Industries by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,458,907 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $579,062,000 after buying an additional 146,682 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its position in shares of CF Industries by 15.3% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,587,999 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $321,852,000 after acquiring an additional 476,769 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of CF Industries by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,570,249 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $276,123,000 after acquiring an additional 381,716 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in CF Industries by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,287,256 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $302,428,000 after purchasing an additional 11,792 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in CF Industries by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,147,611 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $243,436,000 after buying an additional 163,320 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.06% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting CF Industries

Here are the key news stories impacting CF Industries this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CF Industries is beginning construction on its approximately $4 billion Blue Point blue ammonia project in Louisiana. The project could expand the company’s lower-carbon ammonia business and support long-term growth. CF Industries to begin construction of $4bn Louisiana blue ammonia project
• Positive Sentiment: Management is targeting approximately $3.3 billion in mid-cycle EBITDA by 2030 and indicated that higher construction costs are improving the economics of new nitrogen capacity. Tight industry fundamentals are expected to persist into 2027, potentially supporting pricing and margins. CF Industries targets $3.3B mid-cycle EBITDA by 2030
• Positive Sentiment: CF Industries reportedly hinted at developing a second blue ammonia plant, potentially strengthening its competitive position as some rivals retreat from similar projects. CF Industries hints at second blue ammonia plant as rivals retreat
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s earnings call emphasized greater mid-cycle earnings power and favorable nitrogen-market fundamentals, but the benefits are longer term and depend on successful project execution and sustained pricing. CF Q2 Earnings Call Highlights Higher Mid-Cycle Earnings Power
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter earnings fell short of expectations: EPS was $4.73 versus a $5.63 consensus, while revenue of $2.22 billion also missed estimates. Lower volumes and a Yazoo City outage offset stronger nitrogen pricing, putting near-term pressure on the stock. CF Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates Despite Strong Nitrogen Pricing

CF Industries Price Performance

CF stock opened at $114.39 on Monday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $114.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.80. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.42 and a 12-month high of $141.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.48 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 4.86, a quick ratio of 4.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.63 by ($0.90). CF Industries had a return on equity of 24.41% and a net margin of 27.12%.The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.45 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.37 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 15.53 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from CF Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CF shares. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on CF Industries from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 17th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their target price on CF Industries from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Bank of America raised their price target on CF Industries from $103.00 to $106.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Freedom Capital raised CF Industries from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on CF Industries from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $116.25.

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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