Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 12,766 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 2.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 479,405 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 12,766 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.28% of CF Industries worth $37,466,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Curat Global LLC purchased a new position in CF Industries in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 119.8% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 378 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in CF Industries during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its position in CF Industries by 50.8% during 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. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.23, for a total transaction of $1,002,300.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 87,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,812,522.29. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CF has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $105.00 price target on shares of CF Industries and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Scotiabank raised 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 set a $95.00 target price on shares of CF Industries and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of CF Industries to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target 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. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $91.79.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of CF Industries stock opened at $93.81 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market cap of $15.90 billion, a PE ratio of 12.36 and a beta of 0.96. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $67.34 and a 12 month high of $104.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $89.39 and a 200 day moving average of $84.66.

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

CF Industries declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, May 7th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the basic materials company to buy up to 14.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.35%.

CF Industries 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.

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