Swiss National Bank Increases Stock Holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• Swiss National Bank boosted its CF Industries stake by 3.2% in the first quarter, ending with 457,800 shares worth about $59.4 million.
• CF Industries recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.60 per share from $0.50, putting the annualized payout at $2.40 and the dividend yield at about 2.0%.
• Analysts remain mixed on the stock: CF has a consensus Hold rating with an average price target of $116.62, while shares recently traded at $123.07.

Swiss National Bank increased its position in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 457,800 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,000 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.30% of CF Industries worth $59,441,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $193,657,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of CF Industries by 37.6% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,312,225 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $333,501,000 after buying an additional 1,178,516 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $96,560,000. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 52.4% in the third quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 1,775,106 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $159,227,000 after acquiring an additional 610,259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 115.1% in the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,019,926 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $78,881,000 after acquiring an additional 545,668 shares during the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CF shares. Mizuho raised 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. Berenberg Bank upped their price target on CF Industries from $86.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on CF Industries from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 15th. UBS Group lowered their price target on CF Industries from $140.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on CF Industries from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CF Industries has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $116.62.

CF Industries Stock Performance

Shares of CF Industries stock opened at $123.07 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $114.13 and a 200 day moving average of $110.16. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.42 and a 12 month high of $141.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 3.54 and a quick ratio of 3.15.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is an increase from CF Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.56%.

CF Industries Company Profile

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.

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