National Pension Service Boosts Holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

National Pension Service grew its stake in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 198.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 38,685 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 25,704 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $3,470,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in CF Industries by 78.0% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 292 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in CF Industries by 396.2% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 387 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in CF Industries in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

CF Industries Stock Performance

Shares of CF Industries stock opened at $92.47 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $82.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $84.85. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.34 and a 52 week high of $104.45. The company has a market capitalization of $14.42 billion, a PE ratio of 11.14 and a beta of 0.70.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.06 by $0.13. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.47% and a return on equity of 18.14%. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.55 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 21.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. CF Industries’s payout ratio is 24.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on CF. Zacks Research upgraded shares of CF Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. HSBC lowered their price target on shares of CF Industries from $95.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on CF Industries from $94.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Wall Street Zen lowered CF Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 14th. Finally, Cibc Captl Mkts raised CF Industries to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $89.14.

CF Industries Profile

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.