MMCAP International Inc. SPC Acquires Shares of 9,000 CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• MMCAP International opened a new position in CF Industries, buying 9,000 shares worth about $696,000 in the fourth quarter.
• CF Industries posted a strong quarterly beat, with EPS of $3.98 versus expectations of $2.63 and revenue of $1.99 billion, up 19.4% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus “Hold” with an average target price of $118.47.

MMCAP International Inc. SPC acquired a new stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 9,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $696,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CF. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in CF Industries by 46.3% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Services raised its holdings in CF Industries by 451.3% in the 3rd quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Stance Capital LLC acquired a new position in CF Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CF Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC raised its holdings in CF Industries by 69.8% in the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 552 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CF has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on CF Industries from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on CF Industries from $95.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Mizuho upped their price objective on CF Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upped their price objective on CF Industries from $95.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $118.47.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of CF opened at $119.57 on Wednesday. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.42 and a 12-month high of $141.96. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $124.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $100.99. The company has a quick ratio of 3.15, a current ratio of 3.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $18.37 billion, a PE ratio of 10.74 and a beta of 0.42.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by $1.35. CF Industries had a return on equity of 20.93% and a net margin of 23.73%.The business had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.97%.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.06, for a total value of $2,454,658.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 55,762 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,586,977.72. This represents a 24.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.50, for a total value of $427,089.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,161 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,232,256.50. The trade was 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 in the last 90 days. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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