Teacher Retirement System of Texas lessened its position in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 30.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 181,867 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 78,301 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned approximately 0.11% of CF Industries worth $14,213,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 21.8% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,356 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,122,000 after acquiring an additional 2,572 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 88.5% during the fourth quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 150,374 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $12,830,000 after acquiring an additional 70,585 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 119.8% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 378 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 1,497.3% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 109,240 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $8,537,000 after buying an additional 102,401 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.06% of the company's stock.
CF Industries Price Performance
NYSE CF traded up $0.54 on Monday, hitting $95.19. 2,408,144 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,236,951. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $90.34 and a 200-day moving average of $84.83. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.34 and a 52 week high of $104.45. The stock has a market cap of $16.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.54 and a beta of 0.96.
CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.38. CF Industries had a return on equity of 17.39% and a net margin of 21.80%. The company had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.03 EPS. CF Industries's revenue for the quarter was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.
CF Industries announced that its board has authorized a stock 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 reacquire up to 14.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.
CF Industries Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.35%.
Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries
In related news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 87,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,812,522.29. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on CF shares. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on CF Industries in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $86.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $105.00 price target on CF Industries and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price target on CF Industries and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. UBS Group boosted their price target on CF Industries from $79.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on CF Industries from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CF Industries presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $92.07.
View Our Latest Report on CF Industries
CF Industries Company Profile
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Free Report)
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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