CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Position Cut by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. reduced its stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 13.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 83,835 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 12,666 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in CF Industries were worth $6,665,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 101.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,014,385 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $342,026,000 after buying an additional 2,017,325 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 221.8% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,825,115 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $204,793,000 after buying an additional 1,947,268 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $159,602,000. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $160,475,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 34.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,213,654 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $447,019,000 after buying an additional 1,329,677 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 64,030 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,442,550. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CF traded up $0.05 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $77.80. The company had a trading volume of 1,839,164 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,512,117. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.61 billion, a PE ratio of 9.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 3.81, a quick ratio of 3.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $60.08 and a twelve month high of $87.90. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $81.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $79.77.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The basic materials company reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.51 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 23.00% and a return on equity of 18.44%. CF Industries's revenue for the quarter was down 39.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.35 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.85 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 15th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 14th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.57%. This is an increase from CF Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. CF Industries's payout ratio is currently 25.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group cut CF Industries from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $95.00 to $83.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Wolfe Research started coverage on CF Industries in a report on Friday, March 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $99.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $88.00 price objective (down from $96.00) on shares of CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on CF Industries from $98.00 to $97.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $95.00 price objective on shares of CF Industries in a report on Friday, February 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, CF Industries has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $87.94.

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.