Qsemble Capital Management LP Increases Position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• Qsemble Capital Management increased its stake in CF Industries by 54.1% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 120,938 shares worth about $9.35 million.
• Other institutional investors also boosted positions, and hedge funds own 93.06% of CF Industries stock, indicating heavy institutional interest in the company.
• CF Industries reported better-than-expected first-quarter earnings of $3.98 per share on revenue of $1.99 billion, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share.

Qsemble Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 54.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 120,938 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 42,467 shares during the period. CF Industries makes up approximately 0.8% of Qsemble Capital Management LP's portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Qsemble Capital Management LP owned 0.08% of CF Industries worth $9,353,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CF. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $96,560,000. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 52.4% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 1,775,106 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $159,227,000 after buying an additional 610,259 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,133,709 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $281,104,000 after buying an additional 568,710 shares during the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 115.1% in the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,019,926 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $78,881,000 after buying an additional 545,668 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 106.3% in the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,053,802 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $94,526,000 after buying an additional 543,070 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on CF shares. Mizuho boosted their target price on CF Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 price objective on CF Industries in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded CF Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on CF Industries from $95.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on CF Industries from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, CF Industries presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $118.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.50, for a total transaction of $427,089.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,161 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,232,256.50. The trade was a 16.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.00, for a total transaction of $756,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 69,472 shares in the company, valued at $8,753,472. The trade was a 7.95% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 82,408 shares of company stock worth $9,971,298. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

CF Industries Price Performance

CF Industries stock opened at $125.24 on Friday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $123.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.99. The company has a current ratio of 3.54, a quick ratio of 3.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.42 and a 12 month high of $141.96. The company has a market cap of $19.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.25 and a beta of 0.42.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by $1.35. CF Industries had a net margin of 23.73% and a return on equity of 20.93%. The business had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 14.82 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. CF Industries's payout ratio is presently 17.97%.

About CF Industries

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.