Woodline Partners LP Takes $892,000 Position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 10,451 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $892,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,830,621 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $753,429,000 after acquiring an additional 543,876 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,792,339 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $494,202,000 after purchasing an additional 225,109 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in CF Industries by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,487,821 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $382,901,000 after purchasing an additional 299,173 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in CF Industries by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,425,518 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $377,585,000 after purchasing an additional 150,461 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Partners grew its holdings in CF Industries by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,316,616 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $283,044,000 after buying an additional 216,395 shares in the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CF Industries Trading Down 1.6%

CF stock traded down $1.42 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $90.11. 1,853,602 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,137,418. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.94. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $67.34 and a 52-week high of $98.25. The business has a 50 day moving average of $79.37 and a 200-day moving average of $83.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 2.52 and a current ratio of 3.08.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.53 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 15.50% and a net margin of 20.52%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.03 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase 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 purchase up to 14.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CF has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BNP Paribas raised shares of CF Industries to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of CF Industries in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $86.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on CF Industries from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on CF Industries from $87.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CF Industries has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $90.21.

About CF Industries

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.