Optas LLC Makes New Investment in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Optas LLC acquired a new stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 4,249 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $329,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Evergreen Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth $213,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 110.5% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 121,647 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,408,000 after acquiring an additional 63,864 shares during the last quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC bought a new position in CF Industries in the fourth quarter valued at about $320,000. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in CF Industries by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,195 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $479,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its position in CF Industries by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 66,973 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,200,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 3,499 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.38, for a total value of $438,704.62. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 31,036 shares in the company, valued at $3,891,293.68. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.00, for a total value of $756,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 69,472 shares in the company, valued at $8,753,472. The trade was a 7.95% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 82,408 shares of company stock valued at $9,971,298. 0.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on CF. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of CF Industries from $86.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Zacks Research cut shares of CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 price objective on shares of CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $103.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CF Industries currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $116.87.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of CF opened at $122.41 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $18.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.60 and a beta of 0.52. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $74.79 and a 1 year high of $141.96. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $116.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $95.14. The company has a current ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last announced its quarterly 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.CF Industries’s revenue was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.89 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 9.95 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

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.