The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Sells 127,096 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company has reduced its holdings in CF Industries by 32.1%, selling 127,096 shares during the first quarter, leaving it with 268,855 shares valued at $21,011,000.
• CF Industries recently reported earnings of $2.37 per share, beating analysts' expectations, and had a revenue increase of 20.2% year-over-year.
• The company has authorized a $2.00 billion share repurchase program, indicating management's belief that its shares are undervalued.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company cut its position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 32.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 268,855 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 127,096 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.16% of CF Industries worth $21,011,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in CF Industries by 21.8% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,356 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,122,000 after purchasing an additional 2,572 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in CF Industries by 1,497.3% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 109,240 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $8,537,000 after purchasing an additional 102,401 shares in the last quarter. Talaria Asset Management Pty Ltd lifted its stake in CF Industries by 77.0% in the 1st quarter. Talaria Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 584,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $45,640,000 after purchasing an additional 254,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sarasin & Partners LLP purchased a new stake in CF Industries in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,716,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CF Industries Trading Up 0.2%

CF traded up $0.21 during trading on Friday, hitting $84.39. 2,333,014 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,610,247. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.02 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 3.22 and a quick ratio of 2.84. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $90.00 and a 200 day moving average of $85.13. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.34 and a 12-month high of $104.45.

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

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is 26.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CF Industries news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 87,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,812,522.29. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays upgraded shares of CF Industries from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Zacks Research cut shares of CF Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and set a $82.00 target price (down previously from $93.00) on shares of CF Industries in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $82.00 target price (up previously from $81.00) on shares of CF Industries in a report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 target price on shares of CF Industries and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.