Teacher Retirement System of Texas Lowers Stock Holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• Teacher Retirement System of Texas cut its stake in CF Industries by 71.2% in Q4, selling 94,037 shares and retaining 38,041 shares valued at $2.94 million.
• Company insiders sold a sizable amount of stock last quarter—82,408 shares worth about $9.97 million—including SVP Michael McGrane (3,666 shares at $116.50) and EVP Susan Menzel (18,041 shares at $136.06), reducing their ownership.
• CF Industries beat quarterly estimates (EPS $2.59 vs. $2.53; revenue $1.87B, +22.8% YoY), trades around $123.63 with a $18.99B market cap, and holds an analyst consensus of Hold with an average target of $117.87.

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lessened its position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 71.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,041 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 94,037 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in CF Industries were worth $2,942,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CF. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 11.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 232,647 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $20,868,000 after purchasing an additional 23,942 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 878.2% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 17,941 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,609,000 after purchasing an additional 16,107 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in CF Industries by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 369,321 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $33,128,000 after buying an additional 61,140 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in CF Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $677,000. Finally, AIA Group Ltd acquired a new stake in CF Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $376,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.06% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.50, for a total value of $427,089.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,161 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,232,256.50. This represents a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.06, for a total value of $2,454,658.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 55,762 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,586,977.72. This trade represents a 24.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 82,408 shares of company stock worth $9,971,298. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

CF Industries Price Performance

CF Industries stock opened at $123.63 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $117.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $95.86. The stock has a market cap of $18.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.74 and a beta of 0.52. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.42 and a 12-month high of $141.96.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.CF Industries's revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.89 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 11.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CF has been the subject of several recent research reports. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of CF Industries from $85.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on CF Industries from $95.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 target price on CF Industries in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on CF Industries from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CF Industries presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $117.87.

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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