Rafferty Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Rafferty Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,101 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,175 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $1,288,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CF. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 50.8% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 478 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 422.0% during the 4th quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 569 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 460 shares during the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CF Industries Stock Up 1.6%

CF opened at $89.34 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.52, a current ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $78.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $83.47. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.34 and a 52 week high of $98.25. The company has a market cap of $15.15 billion, a PE ratio of 13.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.94.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.38. CF Industries had a return on equity of 15.50% and a net margin of 20.52%. The company had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.03 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, May 7th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the basic materials company to reacquire up to 14.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. CF Industries’s payout ratio is 26.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CF has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank raised CF Industries from a “sector underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $81.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on CF Industries from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays boosted their target price on CF Industries from $87.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Bank of America raised CF Industries from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on CF Industries in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $86.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $90.21.

About CF Industries

CF Industries Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of hydrogen and nitrogen products for energy, fertilizer, emissions abatement, and other industrial activities in North America, Europe, and internationally. It operates through Ammonia, Granular Urea, UAN, AN, and Other segments.