New York State Teachers Retirement System Cuts Stock Position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

New York State Teachers Retirement System lowered its stake in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 3.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 164,715 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 5,610 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.10% of CF Industries worth $12,872,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Curat Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in CF Industries during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in CF Industries by 119.8% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 378 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its holdings in CF Industries by 50.8% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 478 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CF has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on CF Industries in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $86.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price objective on CF Industries and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. BNP Paribas raised CF Industries to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group raised their price target on CF Industries from $79.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded shares of CF Industries from a "sector underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $81.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $91.79.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.23, for a total transaction of $1,002,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

CF Industries Stock Performance

CF traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $93.78. 1,516,352 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,240,612. The company's 50-day moving average is $89.73 and its 200 day moving average is $84.70. The company has a quick ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.90 billion, a PE ratio of 12.36 and a beta of 0.96. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.34 and a 52 week high of $104.45.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.38. CF Industries had a net margin of 21.80% and a return on equity of 17.39%. The company had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.03 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

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

CF Industries announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, May 7th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the basic materials company to repurchase up to 14.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.