Renaissance Technologies LLC Increases Stock Position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• Renaissance Technologies increased its CF Industries stake by 64.1% in the first quarter, adding 96,700 shares to own 247,589 shares worth approximately $32.1 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 93.06%, while analyst sentiment is mixed; CF Industries has an average “Hold” rating and a consensus price target of $116.69.
• CF Industries raised its quarterly dividend from $0.50 to $0.60 per share, equivalent to an annualized $2.40 dividend and a 1.9% yield.

Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 64.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 247,589 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 96,700 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 0.16% of CF Industries worth $32,147,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. KBC Group NV increased its stake in CF Industries by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,170,171 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $90,501,000 after acquiring an additional 248,020 shares during the last quarter. Cambiar Investors LLC acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,166,000. Polianta Ltd acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,484,000. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $300,000. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new stake in CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,556,000. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of CF Industries from $140.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of CF Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. Scotiabank raised shares of CF Industries from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $120.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of CF Industries from $133.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of CF Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CF Industries has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $116.69.

CF Industries Stock Performance

CF Industries stock opened at $123.09 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.91 billion, a PE ratio of 11.06 and a beta of 0.40. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $75.42 and a one year high of $141.96. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $114.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $111.77. 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 Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is an increase from CF Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. CF Industries's payout ratio is 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report).

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.