Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Acquires 63,864 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank increased its stake in CF Industries by 110.5%, buying 63,864 shares in Q4 to hold 121,647 shares worth about $9.41 million (≈0.08% of the company).
• CF beat expectations in the latest quarter with EPS $2.59 (vs. $2.53 est.) and revenue $1.87B (+22.8% YoY); the stock trades near $125.64 with a $19.3B market cap, a P/E of 13.96, analysts' average rating of "Hold" and an average target of $116.87.
• Insiders sold 82,408 shares (~$9.97M) last quarter, reducing insider ownership to 0.51%, while institutional investors hold 93.06% of the stock; CF pays a quarterly dividend of $0.50 ($2.00 annual, 1.6% yield).

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 110.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 121,647 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 63,864 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned 0.08% of CF Industries worth $9,408,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CF. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of CF Industries by 3.1% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,500 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,368,000 after acquiring an additional 518 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of CF Industries by 161.1% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 11,870 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $928,000 after acquiring an additional 7,324 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its stake in shares of CF Industries by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 14,703 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,149,000 after buying an additional 4,252 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of CF Industries by 21.8% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,558 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of CF Industries by 141.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 790 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.06% of the company's stock.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of CF Industries stock opened at $125.64 on Friday. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.42 and a twelve month high of $141.96. The company has a quick ratio of 2.93, a current ratio of 3.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $116.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $95.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.96 and a beta of 0.52.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 19.84%. The business had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.78 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.89 EPS. The business's revenue was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CF has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of CF Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of CF Industries from $85.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on CF Industries from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on CF Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $116.87.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CF Industries news, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.50, for a total transaction of $427,089.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,161 shares in the company, valued at $2,232,256.50. This represents a 16.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 6,184 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.33, for a total value of $676,096.72. Following the sale, the vice president owned 34,535 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,775,711.55. The trade was a 15.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 82,408 shares of company stock worth $9,971,298 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

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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