Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Buys 237,455 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its CF Industries stake by 16.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 237,455 additional shares. The fund now owns 1.71 million shares, worth about $132.3 million.
• CF Industries posted strong quarterly results, with earnings of $3.98 per share versus $2.63 expected and revenue of $1.99 billion versus $1.84 billion expected. Revenue rose 19.4% year over year, and management now sees full-year EPS around 14.82.
• Analysts remain mixed but mostly constructive, with several firms raising price targets and Scotiabank lifting its FY2026 EPS estimate to $15.86. Even so, some ratings still suggest limited upside, while insiders have recently sold shares.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 16.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,710,110 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 237,455 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 1.10% of CF Industries worth $132,260,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,013,846 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $449,742,000 after purchasing an additional 480,126 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,587,999 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $321,852,000 after purchasing an additional 476,769 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,351,194 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $300,602,000 after purchasing an additional 63,938 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 22.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,133,709 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $281,104,000 after purchasing an additional 568,710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,984,291 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $267,691,000 after purchasing an additional 114,788 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.06% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting CF Industries

Here are the key news stories impacting CF Industries this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for CF Industries (CF) to $15.86 from $14.01, signaling stronger profit expectations and helping reinforce the bullish case for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks noted that CF shares have started gaining and could move higher near term as analysts continue lifting earnings estimates, which is typically supportive for investor sentiment.
• Positive Sentiment: Higher global energy prices tied to geopolitical supply concerns may be a tailwind for fertilizer names like CF Industries if stronger agricultural input pricing and nitrogen market conditions persist.
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America increased its price target on CF to $106 from $103, but that target still sits well below the current trading level, suggesting the new note was more of a modest adjustment than a strong bullish call. MarketScreener
• Neutral Sentiment: CF Industries also presented at a farm-to-market conference, but there was no major new company-specific announcement in the transcript to suggest a direct stock catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank’s $120 price target and “Sector Perform” rating imply limited upside from current levels, which may temper enthusiasm despite the improved earnings forecasts.

Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries

In other news, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 3,499 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.38, for a total value of $438,704.62. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 31,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,891,293.68. This trade represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.06, for a total transaction of $2,454,658.46. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 55,762 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,586,977.72. This represents a 24.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 82,408 shares of company stock worth $9,971,298 over the last ninety days. 0.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

CF Industries Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of CF opened at $122.90 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 3.15, a current ratio of 3.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $123.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $98.81. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.42 and a twelve month high of $141.96.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $1.35. The business had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 23.73% and a return on equity of 20.93%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.85 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 14.82 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CF has been the topic of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of CF Industries from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of CF Industries from $95.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on shares of CF Industries from $95.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Zacks Research raised shares of CF Industries from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Two equities research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CF Industries has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $118.47.

About CF Industries

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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