Burford Brothers Inc. Invests $960,000 in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• Burford Brothers Inc. opened a new position in CF Industries during the fourth quarter, buying 12,417 shares valued at about $960,000.
• CF Industries posted strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.98 versus the $2.63 estimate and revenue of $1.99 billion, up 19.4% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, equal to a $2.00 annualized payout and a 1.6% yield, while analysts currently rate the stock Hold on average.

Burford Brothers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 12,417 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $960,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Peterson Wealth Services boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 451.3% during the 3rd quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. Stance Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 3rd quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CF Industries Price Performance

CF opened at $125.24 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $123.96 and a 200-day moving average of $98.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.25 and a beta of 0.42. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.42 and a 12-month high of $141.96. The company has a quick ratio of 3.15, a current ratio of 3.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by $1.35. CF Industries had a return on equity of 20.93% and a net margin of 23.73%.The company had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.85 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 15.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries

In related news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.06, for a total transaction of $2,454,658.46. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 55,762 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,586,977.72. This trade represents a 24.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 3,499 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.38, for a total value of $438,704.62. Following the sale, the vice president owned 31,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,891,293.68. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 82,408 shares of company stock valued at $9,971,298 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CF has been the subject of several research reports. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price objective on CF Industries from $95.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Barclays increased their target price on CF Industries from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Scotiabank increased their target price on CF Industries from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on CF Industries from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $118.47.

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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