Handelsbanken Fonder AB Grows Position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 11.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 43,100 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in CF Industries were worth $3,368,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CF. Korea Investment CORP increased its holdings in CF Industries by 88.5% during the fourth quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 150,374 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $12,830,000 after buying an additional 70,585 shares during the period. National Pension Service grew its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 2,848.4% during the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 290,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $24,776,000 after buying an additional 280,535 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter valued at $51,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in CF Industries by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,792,339 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $494,202,000 after purchasing an additional 225,109 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in CF Industries by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 327,654 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $27,955,000 after purchasing an additional 24,135 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on CF shares. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of CF Industries to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Scotiabank raised shares of CF Industries from a "sector underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $81.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $86.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered shares of CF Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $90.21.

CF Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CF traded up $6.10 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $99.93. The stock had a trading volume of 6,205,431 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,153,516. The company has a market capitalization of $16.94 billion, a PE ratio of 14.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $83.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $84.11. The company has a current ratio of 3.08, a quick ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $67.34 and a 1 year high of $100.48.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.38. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.52% and a return on equity of 15.50%. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.03 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

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

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

CF Industries Company 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.