Susan Menzel Sells 3,914 Shares of CF Industries (NYSE:CF) Stock

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) EVP Susan Menzel sold 3,914 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.09, for a total transaction of $415,236.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 81,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,593,608.27. This represents a 4.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

CF Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CF opened at $115.70 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.78 billion, a PE ratio of 12.86 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a current ratio of 3.37. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $91.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $86.36. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $67.34 and a 1 year high of $120.49.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.06. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 19.84%. The company had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.78 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.89 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CF. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of CF Industries by 24.4% in the second quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 95,289 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $8,767,000 after acquiring an additional 18,666 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 11.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 232,647 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $20,868,000 after acquiring an additional 23,942 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the third quarter valued at $677,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 878.2% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 17,941 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,609,000 after purchasing an additional 16,107 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 26.8% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,193,042 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $196,716,000 after purchasing an additional 464,115 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on CF shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on CF Industries from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on CF Industries from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered CF Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 14th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $96.87.

Key CF Industries News

Here are the key news stories impacting CF Industries this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and constructive research—Barclays raised its price target and moved to overweight, and other firms have boosted near?term outlooks, supporting buying interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: EPS forecasts ticked higher—Zacks and some analysts raised Q1/Q2 EPS estimates, reinforcing the view that recent earnings momentum can persist. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual call?option activity—Large spike in call buying (roughly 7,500 calls, ~148% above normal) indicates short?term bullish positioning that can amplify upward moves.
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals & shareholder returns—Recent quarter beat consensus on EPS and revenue and the company pays a modest dividend, giving investors income + earnings support.
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation re?rating debate—Coverage pieces are assessing whether the rally has stretched valuation vs. fundamentals; this could slow momentum if future results fall short. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: DOJ antitrust probe—Federal investigators are probing the U.S. fertilizer market for possible price?fixing and have named major fertilizer makers, including CF, which is the largest near?term regulatory risk. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder litigation inquiry—A shareholder?rights firm is investigating potential breaches of fiduciary duty by CF directors, adding legal and reputational risk. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider sales—Senior executives (SVP Michael McGrane and EVP Susan Menzel) sold shares in early March; while holdings remain large, these disclosures can be perceived negatively by some investors. SEC filings: Read More. and Read More.

About CF Industries

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.