Korea Investment CORP Acquires Shares of 81,639 CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Korea Investment CORP bought a new position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 81,639 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,838,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CF. Himension Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in CF Industries in the second quarter worth $25,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in CF Industries during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in CF Industries by 46.3% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 2nd quarter valued at $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

CF Industries Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of CF Industries stock opened at $129.31 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $116.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $116.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.57 billion, a PE ratio of 9.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 0.39. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.42 and a 52-week 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.63 by ($0.90). The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.37 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 13.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. This is a positive change from CF Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their target price on shares of CF Industries from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $133.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of CF Industries from $94.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Scotiabank boosted their price target on CF Industries from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, HSBC cut their price target on CF Industries from $130.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Two equities 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 issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CF Industries presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.56.

About CF Industries

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.