First Trust Advisors LP Buys 150,461 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,425,518 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 150,461 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned 2.54% of CF Industries worth $377,585,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $74,000. 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 purchasing an additional 70,585 shares during the period. National Pension Service grew its position in CF Industries by 2,848.4% during the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 290,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $24,776,000 after purchasing an additional 280,535 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in CF Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,792,339 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $494,202,000 after buying an additional 225,109 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company's stock.

CF Industries Price Performance

CF traded up $1.13 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $77.02. 672,286 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,701,340. The company has a quick ratio of 2.52, a current ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $83.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.84. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $67.34 and a one year high of $98.25.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.40. CF Industries had a return on equity of 15.50% and a net margin of 20.52%. The company had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.50 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CF has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group reduced their price target on CF Industries from $90.00 to $79.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded CF Industries from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Bank of America raised CF Industries from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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, Royal Bank of Canada dropped 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 research report on Tuesday, February 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $89.29.

CF Industries Profile

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.