CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF Shares Bought by Nomura Holdings Inc.

Key Points

• Nomura Holdings Inc. increased its stake in CF Industries by 150.8%, owning 15,223 shares valued at approximately $1.19 million as per its recent SEC filing.
• CF Industries reported a quarterly earnings of $2.37 EPS, exceeding analysts' estimates, and experienced a 20.2% increase in revenue compared to the same quarter last year.
• The company recently declared a $0.50 quarterly dividend, representing an annual yield of 2.4%, while also initiating a stock buyback program worth $2.00 billion.

Nomura Holdings Inc. raised its stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 150.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,223 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,154 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc.'s holdings in CF Industries were worth $1,190,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

CF Industries Price Performance

CF stock traded down $0.26 during trading on Monday, reaching $84.22. 1,106,156 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,734,281. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $90.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $85.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 2.84 and a current ratio of 3.22. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $67.34 and a 52-week high of $104.45. The company has a market cap of $13.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.98 and a beta of 0.95.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.73 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 17.10% and a net margin of 20.19%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.30 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America reissued an "underperform" rating and set a $82.00 price target (down previously from $93.00) on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. BNP Paribas lowered CF Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price objective on CF Industries and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Wolfe Research downgraded CF Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of CF Industries from $108.00 to $101.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, CF Industries presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $95.00.

Insider Activity at CF Industries

In related news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.23, for a total value of $1,002,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 87,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,812,522.29. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company's stock.

CF Industries Company 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.