CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF Stock: NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC Raises Position

Key Points

• NorthCrest Asset Management increased its CF Industries stake by 553.6% in the third quarter, reaching 103,390 shares valued at approximately $12.95 million. Institutional investors collectively own 93.06% of the company.
• Analysts remain mixed, with CF Industries carrying an overall “Hold” rating and an average price target of $121.11. Recent targets ranged from $115 to $135, while the stock opened at $114.53.
• CF Industries reported quarterly earnings of $4.73 per share, below the $5.63 consensus estimate, although revenue rose 17.6% year over year to $2.22 billion. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share, equivalent to a 2.1% annualized yield.

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC boosted its stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 553.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 103,390 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 87,572 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC owned about 0.07% of CF Industries worth $12,950,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vertrix Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in CF Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,604,000. Balefire LLC increased its holdings in CF Industries by 36.8% in the third quarter. Balefire LLC now owns 8,197 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $976,000 after buying an additional 2,207 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital raised its holdings in CF Industries by 409.2% during the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 15,654 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,962,000 after purchasing an additional 12,580 shares during the last quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 55,706 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,417,000 after buying an additional 874 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Douglas Lane & Associates LLC raised its position in CF Industries by 465.0% during the third quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC now owns 609,443 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $76,313,000 after acquiring an additional 501,586 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CF. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on CF Industries from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 15th. set a $115.00 target price on shares of CF Industries and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on CF Industries in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $115.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of CF Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $121.11.

CF Industries Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of NYSE CF opened at $114.53 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $17.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.22 and a beta of 0.53. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.42 and a 12-month high of $141.96. The company has a current ratio of 4.86, a quick ratio of 4.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $123.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $120.59.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.73 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.63 by ($0.90). The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.45 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 24.41% and a net margin of 27.12%. The firm's revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.37 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 13.90 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 30th. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.79%.

CF Industries Company Profile

CF Industries Holdings, Inc NYSE: CF is a major global producer of nitrogen fertilizer and other nitrogen-based products. The company manufactures ammonia, granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), ammonium nitrate and specialty nitrogen products used in agriculture, industrial applications and emissions-control systems.

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

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.