CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Stake Raised by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Key Points

• Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. by 18.7%, owning approximately 0.06% of the company worth $7.82 million.
• Research firms have given CF Industries a consensus rating of "Hold," with analysts setting a price target range of $81 to $108 based on varying evaluations.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, translating to a yield of 2.14%, and has also authorized a share repurchase plan worth $2 billion.

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 18.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 101,067 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,899 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd owned 0.06% of CF Industries worth $7,822,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CF. Norges Bank acquired a new position in CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $131,350,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in CF Industries by 8,352.8% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,451,338 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $113,422,000 after purchasing an additional 1,434,168 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in CF Industries by 72.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,278,354 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $178,053,000 after purchasing an additional 959,901 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in CF Industries by 29.4% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,804,718 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $239,299,000 after purchasing an additional 637,784 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC increased its position in CF Industries by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,830,621 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $753,429,000 after purchasing an additional 543,876 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CF Industries Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of CF traded down $1.65 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $93.26. The stock had a trading volume of 507,569 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,713,814. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $93.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $85.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a current ratio of 2.59. The firm has a market cap of $15.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.29 and a beta of 0.96. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.34 and a 12-month high of $104.45.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.53 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 17.39% and a net margin of 21.80%. The company's revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.03 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CF Industries 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 $8,812,522.29. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 target price on CF Industries and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Oppenheimer cut CF Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $100.00 price target on CF Industries and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Wolfe Research cut CF Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded CF Industries to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $95.71.

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.