Sarasin & Partners LLP Buys New Shares in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Sarasin & Partners LLP purchased a new stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 20,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,716,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of CF Industries by 50.8% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 478 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC boosted its position in shares of CF Industries by 422.0% during the 4th quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 569 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company's stock.

CF Industries Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of CF traded up $0.80 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $92.43. The stock had a trading volume of 475,202 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,125,836. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $80.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $83.85. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.34 and a 1-year high of $98.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 3.08 and a quick ratio of 2.52. The company has a market cap of $15.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.65, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.97.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 20.52% and a return on equity of 15.50%. The company had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.53 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.03 EPS. CF Industries's revenue for the quarter was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.35%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of CF Industries from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of CF Industries in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $86.00 target price on the stock. Scotiabank upgraded shares of CF Industries from a "sector underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $81.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of CF Industries from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of CF Industries from $87.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.