KBC Group NV Buys 289,925 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 48.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 892,998 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 289,925 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned 0.53% of CF Industries worth $69,787,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CF. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 14.3% in the 1st quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 13,253 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,006,000 after purchasing an additional 1,659 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in CF Industries by 35.8% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 897,041 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $71,395,000 after acquiring an additional 236,703 shares during the period. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in CF Industries during the first quarter valued at about $232,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 7.8% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 185,240 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $14,336,000 after acquiring an additional 13,433 shares during the period. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in shares of CF Industries by 28.9% in the first quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 36,653 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,864,000 after purchasing an additional 8,216 shares during the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of CF traded up $1.32 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $93.81. 2,376,779 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,241,330. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.36 and a beta of 0.96. The business has a 50-day moving average of $89.04 and a 200 day moving average of $84.59. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $67.34 and a one year high of $104.45.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 17.39% and a net margin of 21.80%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.03 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. CF Industries's payout ratio is 26.35%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 87,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,812,522.29. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on CF. Wolfe Research lowered shares of CF Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price target on CF Industries and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Barclays raised their price objective on CF Industries from $87.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $105.00 price objective on CF Industries and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of CF Industries in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $86.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $91.79.

CF Industries 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.