Natixis Advisors LLC Reduces Holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC cut its CF Industries stake by 12.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 45,438 shares and ending with 316,343 shares valued at about $24.5 million.
• Insider selling was notable: VP Erik M. Mayer and VP Richard A. Hoker both sold shares in March, and insiders sold a total of 40,824 shares worth about $5.33 million over the last three months.
• CF Industries reported strong quarterly results and maintained a dividend, beating earnings and revenue estimates for the latest quarter, while paying a $0.50 quarterly dividend that implies a 1.7% yield.

Natixis Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 12.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 316,343 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 45,438 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.20% of CF Industries worth $24,466,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Stance Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new position in CF Industries in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake 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 worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in CF Industries by 43.7% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 500 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CF Industries news, VP Erik M. Mayer sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale 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 dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was 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 represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 40,824 shares of company stock worth $5,333,817 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CF. Wall Street Zen raised CF Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on CF Industries from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded CF Industries from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Scotiabank increased their target price on CF Industries from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Berenberg Bank increased their target price on CF Industries from $86.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CF Industries currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $119.00.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of CF stock opened at $117.75 on Friday. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.42 and a 1-year high of $141.96. The stock's 50-day moving average is $123.25 and its 200 day moving average is $102.55. The company has a market cap of $18.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.58 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 3.54 and a quick ratio of 3.15.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.85 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 15.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.97%.

CF Industries 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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