Paradiem LLC Sells 9,558 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Paradiem LLC lowered its holdings in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 14.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 57,699 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 9,558 shares during the period. CF Industries comprises about 1.2% of Paradiem LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Paradiem LLC's holdings in CF Industries were worth $4,509,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Curat Global LLC acquired a new position in CF Industries during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 50.8% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 478 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in CF Industries by 118.5% in the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 542 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group increased their target price on CF Industries from $79.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Oppenheimer cut CF Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Barclays increased their target price on shares of CF Industries from $87.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on CF Industries from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CF Industries presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $90.71.

CF Industries Stock Down 3.3%

NYSE:CF traded down $3.14 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $91.54. 3,489,369 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,225,861. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The business's 50-day moving average price is $87.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.56. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $67.34 and a 1 year high of $104.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.06 and a beta of 0.97.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.38. CF Industries had a return on equity of 17.39% and a net margin of 21.80%. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.03 EPS. CF Industries's quarterly revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. CF Industries's payout ratio is currently 26.35%.

CF Industries announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, May 7th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the basic materials company to reacquire up to 14.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CF Industries news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.23, for a total transaction of $1,002,300.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 87,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,812,522.29. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.