CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 5,270,000 shares, a decline of 5.4% from the April 15th total of 5,570,000 shares. Approximately 2.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,670,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on CF Industries from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on CF Industries in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $99.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $95.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on CF Industries from $98.00 to $97.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their target price on CF Industries from $86.00 to $80.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $85.00.

CF Industries Trading Down 1.4 %

CF Industries stock traded down $1.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $76.22. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,266,469 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,403,221. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.02. The stock's fifty day moving average is $80.33 and its 200 day moving average is $78.88. CF Industries has a 1-year low of $60.08 and a 1-year high of $87.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 3.55 and a current ratio of 3.94.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.44). The firm had revenue of $1.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.46 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 14.08% and a net margin of 19.03%. The business's revenue was down 26.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that CF Industries will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.62%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 33.22%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.00, for a total value of $510,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 64,030 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,442,550. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CF Industries

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wahed Invest LLC increased its stake in CF Industries by 13.6% during the first quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 3,726 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $310,000 after acquiring an additional 445 shares during the last quarter. LBP AM SA increased its stake in CF Industries by 136.3% during the first quarter. LBP AM SA now owns 13,623 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,134,000 after acquiring an additional 7,858 shares during the last quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the first quarter worth about $2,384,000. Ascent Group LLC boosted its position in shares of CF Industries by 10.0% in the first quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 3,804 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 346 shares during the period. Finally, Earnest Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of CF Industries by 6.3% in the first quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 2,133,854 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $177,558,000 after buying an additional 125,616 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CF Industries Company 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.