Prudential PLC Has $5.88 Million Holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• Prudential PLC increased its stake in CF Industries Holdings by 503.0% during the first quarter, acquiring a total of 75,210 shares valued at approximately $5.88 million.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings report showed earnings per share of $2.37, exceeding analysts' estimates and demonstrating a 20.2% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• CF Industries has announced a stock repurchase program allowing it to buy back up to 14.7% of its shares, alongside declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share.

Prudential PLC lifted its stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 503.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 75,210 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 62,738 shares during the period. Prudential PLC's holdings in CF Industries were worth $5,878,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in CF Industries by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 13,119 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,123,000 after purchasing an additional 3,068 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in CF Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $14,883,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in CF Industries by 30.9% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 14,162 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,208,000 after purchasing an additional 3,345 shares in the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 11,807 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,007,000 after purchasing an additional 2,158 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan bought a new position in CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $272,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CF traded down $2.10 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $83.80. 1,238,602 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,770,005. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $93.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.14. The company has a market cap of $13.57 billion, a PE ratio of 10.94 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 2.84 and a current ratio of 3.22. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.34 and a 1-year high of $104.45.

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

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

CF Industries Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries

In other 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 transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.71% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CF has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded CF Industries from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $75.00 to $92.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Bank of America reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and issued a $82.00 price objective (down from $93.00) on shares of CF Industries in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 target price on CF Industries and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of CF Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $82.00 price target (up from $81.00) on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Monday, August 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CF Industries presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $95.00.

About CF Industries

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.