CF Industries (NYSE:CF) VP Sells $270,729.00 in Stock

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) VP Ashraf Malik sold 2,439 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.00, for a total transaction of $270,729.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 4,299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $477,189. This represents a 36.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

CF Industries Stock Up 9.1%

CF opened at $120.07 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 3.37 and a quick ratio of 2.93. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $93.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $86.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.34 and a beta of 0.68. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $67.34 and a 12 month high of $121.80.

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

CF Industries Announces Dividend

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

More CF Industries News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical-driven demand boost: Coverage says the Iran conflict is tightening global fertilizer markets and lifting near-term demand/pricing for major fertilizer producers, which benefits CF’s ammonia and urea businesses. The Iran war is boosting this farming stock
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Several brokers have lifted price targets recently (Barclays raised its target to $120; other shops nudged targets higher), providing a favorable research backdrop that can amplify buying on positive sector news. CF Industries stock page (MarketBeat)
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals and payout: Recent quarterly results showed revenue and EPS beats and CF pays a modest dividend (annualized $2.00, ~1.8% yield), supporting the bull case that higher fertilizer prices feed through to earnings. CF Industries stock page (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional/hedge fund activity: Reporting shows some hedge funds and institutions adjusting positions in CF; institutional ownership remains very high, which can mute volatility as positions are large and long-term. Hedge fund and insider trading news (InsiderMonkey)
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling this week: Multiple officers (EVP, several VPs and SVPs) disclosed sales adding up to roughly $4.2M in proceeds across filings; repeated executive sales are being parsed by the market as potential portfolio diversification or a cautious signal. Insider selling alerts (InsiderTrades)

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on CF shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 target price on CF Industries in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. HSBC dropped their price target on CF Industries from $95.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of CF Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 14th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CF Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $96.87.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CF. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 24.4% during the second quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 95,289 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $8,767,000 after purchasing an additional 18,666 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in CF Industries by 11.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 232,647 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $20,868,000 after buying an additional 23,942 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in CF Industries by 878.2% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 17,941 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,609,000 after buying an additional 16,107 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CF Industries in the 3rd quarter worth about $677,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in CF Industries by 26.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,193,042 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $196,716,000 after buying an additional 464,115 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.