CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Holdings Lifted by Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund grew its holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 148.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,046 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,016 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund's holdings in CF Industries were worth $394,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CF. Curat Global LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new stake in CF Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of CF Industries by 50.8% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 478 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in CF Industries by 118.5% during the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 542 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In related news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 87,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,812,522.29. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on CF shares. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of CF Industries to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $105.00 price target on shares of CF Industries and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on CF Industries in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $86.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price target on CF Industries and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $79.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $91.79.

CF Industries Stock Performance

CF stock traded down $0.61 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $90.79. The company had a trading volume of 2,907,559 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,228,577. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $67.34 and a fifty-two week high of $104.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.39 billion, a PE ratio of 11.96 and a beta of 0.97. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $87.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $84.56.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.53 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.03 EPS. CF Industries's quarterly revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the basic materials company to repurchase up to 14.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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 paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. CF Industries's payout ratio is currently 26.35%.

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.