Principal Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 7.2% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 239,624 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,000 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $31,113,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in CF Industries by 46.3% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. WPG Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 69.8% in the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 552 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries during the second quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $52,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CF has been the subject of several research reports. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Zacks Research downgraded shares of CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 15th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of CF Industries from $140.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on CF Industries from $133.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, CF Industries presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.62.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CF opened at $121.17 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 3.54 and a quick ratio of 3.15. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $114.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $109.51. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.42 and a 1-year high of $141.96. The company has a market cap of $18.62 billion, a PE ratio of 10.89 and a beta of 0.40.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is an increase from CF Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. CF Industries’s payout ratio is currently 17.97%.

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.