Norges Bank Takes $193.66 Million Position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• Norges Bank disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in CF Industries, buying 2,503,965 shares worth about $193.66 million, which represented 1.61% ownership of the company.
• CF Industries reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $3.98 versus expectations of $2.63 and revenue of $1.99 billion, with revenue up 19.4% year over year.
• The company paid a $0.50 quarterly dividend recently, and analysts currently have a Hold consensus on CF with an average price target of $119.

Norges Bank bought a new stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,503,965 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $193,657,000. Norges Bank owned 1.61% of CF Industries at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CF. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,500 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,368,000 after acquiring an additional 518 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 161.1% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 11,870 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $928,000 after acquiring an additional 7,324 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 40.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 14,703 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,149,000 after acquiring an additional 4,252 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in CF Industries by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,558 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $278,000 after buying an additional 638 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in CF Industries by 141.6% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 790 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 463 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company's stock.

CF Industries Price Performance

CF opened at $116.65 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $123.44 and a 200-day moving average of $102.32. The company has a market capitalization of $17.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.48 and a beta of 0.38. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.42 and a 1-year high of $141.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 3.15 and a current ratio of 3.54.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last released its 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. The company had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 23.73% and a return on equity of 20.93%. The company's revenue was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. Equities analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 15.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. CF Industries's payout ratio is presently 17.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CF has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $94.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $95.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, CF Industries currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $119.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Erik M. Mayer sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 19.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.06, for a total transaction of $2,454,658.46. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 55,762 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,586,977.72. The trade was a 24.44% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 56,690 shares of company stock worth $7,206,756. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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