Victory Capital Management Inc. Cuts Holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• Victory Capital Management cut its CF Industries stake by 13.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 654,554 shares. It still held 4.36 million shares worth about $337.1 million at the end of the period.
• CF Industries reported strong quarterly results, posting $3.98 EPS on revenue of $1.99 billion, both above analyst expectations. Revenue rose 19.4% year over year.
• The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, equal to $2.00 annually and a 1.8% yield. Meanwhile, analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average price target of $119.

Victory Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 13.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,359,292 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 654,554 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 2.79% of CF Industries worth $337,148,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 46.3% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Stance Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. WPG Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 69.8% in the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 552 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the period. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,000. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In other news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.00, for a total transaction of $756,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 69,472 shares in the company, valued at $8,753,472. This trade represents a 7.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Erik M. Mayer sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.69, for a total value of $187,035.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 6,341 shares in the company, valued at $790,659.29. This trade represents a 19.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 10,999 shares of company stock worth $1,381,740 over the last quarter. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CF opened at $109.36 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $120.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $103.65. The stock has a market cap of $16.80 billion, a PE ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 3.15 and a current ratio of 3.54. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $75.42 and a one year high of $141.96.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by $1.35. The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 20.93% and a net margin of 23.73%.CF Industries's quarterly revenue was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 15.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CF has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays upped their price target on CF Industries from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Bank of America upped their price target on CF Industries from $103.00 to $106.00 in a report on Thursday, May 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on CF Industries from $132.00 to $133.00 in a report on Friday, May 8th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce upped their price target on CF Industries from $118.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on CF Industries from $94.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $119.00.

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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