CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Shares Gap Up After Dividend Announcement

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday after the company announced a dividend. The stock had previously closed at $77.80, but opened at $80.60. CF Industries shares last traded at $80.08, with a volume of 531,258 shares.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.51%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CF has been the topic of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler downgraded CF Industries from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $87.00 to $82.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Barclays raised CF Industries from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 12th. Wolfe Research began 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. Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on CF Industries from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America reissued 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. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $87.94.

CF Industries Trading Up 2.3 %

The company has a market capitalization of $14.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 3.81 and a quick ratio of 3.44. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $81.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $79.77.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The basic materials company reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.51 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 23.00% and a return on equity of 18.44%. The business’s revenue was down 39.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.35 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at CF Industries

In related news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the company’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 in the company, valued at $5,442,550. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Clear Street Markets LLC lifted its position in shares of CF Industries by 92.5% during the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 385 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of CF Industries by 428.6% during the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

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.