CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF Shares Bought by Baird Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its ownership in CF Industries Holdings by 21.8%, acquiring an additional 30,790 shares, bringing its total to approximately 171,736 shares worth $13.42 million.
• Multiple institutional investors, including Vanguard Group, Charles Schwab, and Invesco, also increased their stakes in CF Industries, highlighting strong institutional interest in the company.
• CF Industries announced a $2 billion share repurchase program and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, reflecting confidence in its financial position and commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 21.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 171,736 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 30,790 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned 0.10% of CF Industries worth $13,421,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CF. Curat Global LLC purchased a new position in CF Industries during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in CF Industries during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its position in CF Industries by 119.8% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 378 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its position in CF Industries by 114.1% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 379 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In related news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.23, for a total value of $1,002,300.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 87,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,812,522.29. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

CF Industries Price Performance

CF Industries stock traded up $0.21 during trading on Friday, reaching $84.39. The company had a trading volume of 2,333,014 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,610,247. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $90.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $85.13. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.34 and a 1-year high of $104.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.67 billion, a PE ratio of 11.02 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 2.84 and a current ratio of 3.22.

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

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of CF Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of CF Industries from $103.00 to $101.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of CF Industries from $108.00 to $101.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $100.00 target price on shares of CF Industries and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $82.00 target price (up from $81.00) on shares of CF Industries in a report on Monday, August 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.