Man Group plc Invests $8.89 Million in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Man Group plc acquired a new stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 82,145 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,893,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Himension Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. purchased a new position in CF Industries during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in CF Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of CF Industries by 46.3% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 2nd quarter valued at about $44,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting CF Industries

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

• Positive Sentiment: CF Industries and its partners broke ground on the roughly $3.7 billion Blue Point One low-carbon ammonia plant in Louisiana. The project is designed to produce approximately 1.4 million metric tons annually, with production targeted for 2029. It could strengthen domestic fertilizer supply while positioning CF in the emerging lower-carbon ammonia market. CF Industries and Partners Break Ground on Low-Carbon Ammonia Plant
• Positive Sentiment: Investor Kevin Simpson disclosed that he is buying more CF Industries, describing the fertilizer producer as an attractive way to participate in U.S. reindustrialization. His endorsement may support sentiment around CF’s valuation, domestic manufacturing exposure and expected demand for nitrogen products. Kevin Simpson is buying this play on America’s reindustrialization at a very attractive price
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage contrasted CF’s progress with setbacks affecting Woodside’s blue-ammonia project, highlighting CF’s ability to advance its own lower-carbon ammonia strategy. Woodside blue ammonia plant stumbles, though CF moves ahead
• Neutral Sentiment: The Louisiana project represents a major multiyear capital commitment, so investors will likely monitor construction costs, financing, regulatory support and whether low-carbon ammonia demand develops as expected before the planned 2029 startup. CF Industries and partners break ground on Louisiana ammonia plant

CF Industries Stock Up 0.0%

CF opened at $125.75 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $118.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $116.87. The company has a market cap of $19.03 billion, a PE ratio of 9.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.25 and a beta of 0.39. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.42 and a 1 year 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.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.45 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 24.41%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.37 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 13.7 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from CF Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. CF Industries’s payout ratio is 17.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CF has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $129.00 target price on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of CF Industries from $135.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of CF Industries from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of CF Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.