KBC Group NV Boosts Stock Position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• KBC Group NV raised its stake in CF Industries by 26.9% in Q4 to 1,170,171 shares (about 0.75% of the company), a position worth roughly $90.5 million, while institutional investors own about 93.06% of the stock.
• CF Industries beat Q4 estimates with $2.59 EPS and $1.87 billion in revenue (revenue up 22.8% YoY), pays a $0.50 quarterly dividend (1.7% yield), and holds an average analyst rating of "Hold" with a $114.20 target.
• Corporate insiders sold 82,408 shares worth about $9.97 million over the last quarter (insiders now own 0.51%), signaling notable insider liquidity despite institutional accumulation.

KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 26.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,170,171 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 248,020 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.75% of CF Industries worth $90,501,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych increased its holdings in CF Industries by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych now owns 14,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,083,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of CF Industries by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $183,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. Sippican Capital Advisors increased its stake in shares of CF Industries by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Sippican Capital Advisors now owns 15,405 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,191,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cambiar Investors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $4,166,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on CF shares. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of CF Industries from $86.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Barclays boosted their price objective on CF Industries from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised CF Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. Zacks Research lowered CF Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CF Industries has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $114.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CF Industries news, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 3,499 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.38, for a total value of $438,704.62. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 31,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,891,293.68. This trade represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.50, for a total value of $427,089.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,161 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,232,256.50. This represents a 16.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 82,408 shares of company stock worth $9,971,298 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

CF Industries Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE CF opened at $120.66 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $18.54 billion, a PE ratio of 13.41 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.32 and a 12-month high of $141.96. The company has a 50-day moving average of $113.77 and a 200 day moving average of $94.09.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 19.84%. The business's revenue was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.89 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. CF Industries's payout ratio is 22.22%.

CF Industries Company Profile

CF Industries Holdings, Inc is a leading global manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products for agricultural and industrial customers. The company specializes in the production of ammonia, granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), nitric acid and ammonium nitrate, which serve as key inputs for fertilizer blends, industrial chemicals and other downstream applications.

Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, CF Industries operates production facilities and distribution terminals across North America and the United Kingdom.

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