Kestra Advisory Services LLC Takes Position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• Kestra Advisory Services LLC has invested approximately $849,000 in CF Industries by acquiring 10,865 shares during Q1 2023.
• CF Industries reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) in its latest earnings announcement, exceeding analysts' expectations, alongside a revenue increase of 20.2% year-over-year.
• The company has authorized a **$2 billion share buyback program**, indicating that management believes the stock may be undervalued.

Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 10,865 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $849,000.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its position in shares of CF Industries by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 8,727 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $682,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of CF Industries by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,192 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $562,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Principal Street Partners LLC increased its position in shares of CF Industries by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Principal Street Partners LLC now owns 7,906 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $675,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of CF Industries by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 4,624 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of CF Industries by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,425 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $111,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on CF shares. Bank of America reiterated an "underperform" rating and set a $82.00 target price (down previously from $93.00) on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of CF Industries from $108.00 to $101.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 11th. BNP Paribas cut shares of CF Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price objective on shares of CF Industries and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $100.00 price objective on shares of CF Industries and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CF Industries presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $95.00.

CF Industries Price Performance

NYSE:CF traded up $0.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $84.39. 2,333,014 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,610,247. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $67.34 and a 12 month high of $104.45. The company has a fifty day moving average of $90.00 and a 200 day moving average of $85.13. The company has a quick ratio of 2.84, a current ratio of 3.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market cap of $13.67 billion, a PE ratio of 11.02 and a beta of 0.95.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.02. The firm 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 company's revenue was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.30 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.11%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 87,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,812,522.29. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

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.