First Trust Advisors LP Sells 70,729 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

First Trust Advisors LP cut its holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 10.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 584,182 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 70,729 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.38% of CF Industries worth $75,850,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in CF Industries by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,170,171 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $90,501,000 after purchasing an additional 248,020 shares in the last quarter. Polianta Ltd purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,484,000. Cambiar Investors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,166,000. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $300,000. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $11,556,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CF Industries Trading Down 1.2%

CF stock opened at $125.20 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.15, a current ratio of 3.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.42 and a twelve month high of $141.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.25 and a beta of 0.40. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $114.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $110.94.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from CF Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on CF. Freedom Capital upgraded CF Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on CF Industries from $135.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on CF Industries from $94.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on CF Industries from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $129.00 target price on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.69.

CF Industries Company 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.