Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Increases Stock Position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• Los Angeles Capital Management increased its CF Industries stake by 37.9% in the fourth quarter, ending with 137,677 shares valued at about $11.4 million.
• CF Industries reported a strong quarterly beat, posting EPS of $3.98 versus estimates of $2.63 and revenue of $1.99 billion, up 19.4% year over year.
• Despite solid results, company insiders sold shares in recent months, while Wall Street remains mixed with an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $119.

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 37.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 137,677 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 37,845 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned 0.09% of CF Industries worth $11,401,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of CF Industries by 46.3% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Stance Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries during the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. WPG Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of CF Industries by 69.8% during the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 552 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries during the second quarter worth approximately $44,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CF Industries news, VP Erik M. Mayer sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.69, for a total value of $187,035.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 6,341 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $790,659.29. This trade represents a 19.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 3,499 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were 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 approximately $3,891,293.68. This trade represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 35,290 shares of company stock valued at $4,690,711 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CF opened at $109.54 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 3.54 and a quick ratio of 3.15. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $122.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $102.99. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.42 and a 1-year high of $141.96. The company has a market cap of $16.83 billion, a PE ratio of 9.84 and a beta of 0.38.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $1.35. CF Industries had a return on equity of 20.93% and a net margin of 23.73%.The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.85 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CF. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of CF Industries from $132.00 to $133.00 in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Barclays raised their target price on shares of CF Industries from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of CF Industries from $94.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce increased their price target on CF Industries from $118.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $119.00.

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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