Patton Fund Management Inc. Purchases New Holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Patton Fund Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 40,595 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $3,172,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Curat Global LLC purchased a new position in CF Industries in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in CF Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CF Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in 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 worth $41,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in CF Industries by 118.5% in the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 542 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CF Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CF opened at $100.65 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $84.06 and a 200 day moving average of $84.13. The company has a current ratio of 3.08, a quick ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.97. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.34 and a 12-month high of $104.45.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.52% and a return on equity of 15.50%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.03 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.99%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.35%.

CF Industries announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 7th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the basic materials company to purchase up to 14.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CF has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research cut shares of CF Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Oppenheimer cut shares of CF Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $79.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $86.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $90.21.

About CF Industries

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.

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