CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF Shares Sold by Rafferty Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Rafferty Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in CF Industries by 20.6%, owning 11,997 shares valued at approximately $938,000 after selling 3,104 shares.
• Several other institutional investors have increased their shareholdings, with Vanguard Group raising its stake by 1.5% and Ameriprise Financial increasing its stake by 16.8% in the same quarter.
• CF Industries is currently rated as a "Hold" by analysts, with a consensus target price of $95.00, while the stock recently traded at $86.60.

Rafferty Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 20.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,997 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 3,104 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in CF Industries were worth $938,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CF. Curat Global LLC bought a new stake in CF Industries during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in CF Industries during the first quarter worth $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 119.8% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 378 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 114.1% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 379 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the period. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CF Industries Trading Down 3.0%

CF stock traded down $2.58 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $84.85. The stock had a trading volume of 2,065,584 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,832,937. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $90.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $85.10. 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 cap of $13.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.08 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 3.22, a quick ratio of 2.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.73 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.19% and a return on equity of 17.10%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.30 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, May 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the basic materials company to purchase up to 14.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.11%.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of the firm's 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 $8,812,522.29. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on CF shares. Barclays upgraded CF Industries from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $95.00 to $100.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Scotiabank reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $82.00 target price (up from $81.00) on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen cut CF Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price target on CF Industries and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on CF Industries from $108.00 to $101.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, CF Industries has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $95.00.

CF Industries Company 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.