CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF Position Increased by Baird Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group increased its CF Industries stake by 23.3% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 153,373 shares valued at approximately $16.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 93.06% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with CF Industries receiving a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $116.47, below its reported opening price of $133.06.
• CF Industries reported quarterly EPS of $4.73, missing the $5.63 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 17.6% year over year to $2.22 billion. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.60 per share, equating to a 1.8% yield.

Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 23.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 153,373 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 28,982 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.10% of CF Industries worth $16,604,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CF. Himension Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Continuum Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in CF Industries by 46.3% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Freedom Capital upgraded CF Industries from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. HSBC reduced their price target on CF Industries from $130.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. KeyCorp started coverage on CF Industries in a report on Thursday. They set an "underweight" rating and a $115.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $133.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $129.00 price objective on shares of CF Industries in a report on Friday, July 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $116.47.

CF Industries Stock Performance

CF opened at $133.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $20.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 4.86 and a quick ratio of 4.32. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.42 and a 1-year high of $141.96. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $123.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $119.62.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.63 by ($0.90). CF Industries had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 24.41%. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.37 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 13.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. This is a boost from CF Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.79%.

CF Industries Company Profile

CF Industries Holdings, Inc is a global producer of nitrogen fertilizer and other nitrogen-based products. The company manufactures ammonia, granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), ammonium nitrate and nitric acid, which are used primarily in agriculture to support crop production. Its industrial products also serve customers in areas such as emissions control, plastics, resins, chemicals and other manufacturing applications.

CF Industries operates production facilities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom and supplies agricultural and industrial customers in North America and international markets.

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