Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. Raises Stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in CF Industries Holdings, acquiring an additional 13,145 shares, bringing its total to 20,303 shares valued at approximately $1.59 million.
• CF Industries reported $2.37 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates, and experienced a 20.2% year-over-year revenue growth.
• The company announced a stock repurchase program allowing it to buy back $2 billion of its shares, signaling confidence in its stock value.

Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 183.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 20,303 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 13,145 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in CF Industries were worth $1,587,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Curat Global LLC purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in CF Industries during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of CF Industries by 114.1% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 379 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CF Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CF opened at $85.3670 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $13.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.14 and a beta of 0.94. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $67.34 and a one year high of $104.45. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $92.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $85.08. 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 (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.73 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.19% and a return on equity of 17.10%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.30 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries announced that its board has initiated a stock 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 repurchase up to 14.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries

In other news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 87,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,812,522.29. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on CF. Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $82.00 price target (up previously from $81.00) on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 target price on CF Industries and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Wolfe Research downgraded CF Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $100.00 price objective on CF Industries and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut CF Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.

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