Saudi Central Bank Acquires 4,996 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Saudi Central Bank boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 86.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 10,753 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 4,996 shares during the quarter. Saudi Central Bank’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $1,164,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Teamwork Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries in the second quarter valued at $10,108,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $11,556,000. S&CO Inc. bought a new position in CF Industries in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,630,000. Twin Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in CF Industries in the 4th quarter worth about $714,000. Finally, Deane Retirement Strategies Inc. grew its holdings in CF Industries by 27.1% during the 2nd quarter. Deane Retirement Strategies Inc. now owns 62,022 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,708,000 after buying an additional 13,220 shares in the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CF Industries Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE CF opened at $134.81 on Wednesday. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.42 and a 12 month high of $141.96. The company has a current ratio of 4.86, a quick ratio of 4.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.99, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 0.40. The business has a 50-day moving average of $122.41 and a 200-day moving average of $118.99.

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

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from CF Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. CF Industries’s payout ratio is currently 17.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CF shares. Freedom Capital raised shares of CF Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Freedom Broker lowered shares of CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of CF Industries from $135.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of CF Industries from $133.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.56.

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.