Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Takes $9.71 Million Position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 89,732 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,714,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in CF. Himension Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. bought a new stake in CF Industries in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in CF Industries in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in CF Industries in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in CF Industries by 46.3% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in CF Industries in the second quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CF Industries Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of CF stock opened at $125.71 on Thursday. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.42 and a 52-week high of $141.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 4.32 and a current ratio of 4.86. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $117.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $116.58. The company has a market capitalization of $19.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.32, a PEG ratio of 0.25 and a beta of 0.39.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.73 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.63 by ($0.90). CF Industries had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 24.41%. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.37 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 13.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from CF Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their target price on CF Industries from $115.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $103.00 to $106.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce restated a “neutral” rating and set a $129.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $86.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Two investment 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.56.

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.