CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF Shares Acquired by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group increased its stake in CF Industries by 7.2% in the first quarter, buying 16,000 more shares and bringing its holding to 239,624 shares worth about $31.1 million.
• CF Industries announced a higher quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share, up from $0.50, implying a $2.40 annualized payout and a 2.0% yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Scotiabank upgraded the stock to sector outperform, but the overall consensus is still Hold with an average price target of $116.62.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 7.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 239,624 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,000 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.16% of CF Industries worth $31,113,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in CF Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $44,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 46.3% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. WPG Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of CF Industries by 69.8% during the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 552 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC increased its stake in shares of CF Industries by 149.1% during the first quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 578 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 346 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CF Industries Stock Performance

Shares of CF opened at $121.17 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $114.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $109.51. The company has a quick ratio of 3.15, a current ratio of 3.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market capitalization of $18.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.89 and a beta of 0.40. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.42 and a 52-week high of $141.96.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from CF Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank raised shares of CF Industries from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $120.00 to $125.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. HSBC dropped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $130.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $133.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $116.62.

CF Industries Company 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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