First Trust Advisors LP Cuts Stock Position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

First Trust Advisors LP trimmed its position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 35.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,856,243 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,004,785 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $166,505,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 3.1% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,368,000 after acquiring an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 161.1% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 11,870 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $928,000 after purchasing an additional 7,324 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in CF Industries by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 14,703 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,149,000 after purchasing an additional 4,252 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,558 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $278,000 after buying an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 141.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 463 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Mizuho set a $95.00 price objective on CF Industries in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of CF Industries from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of CF Industries in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on CF Industries from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, CF Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $96.87.

CF Industries Stock Up 4.4%

Shares of NYSE CF opened at $115.70 on Friday. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.34 and a 12-month high of $120.49. The company has a market capitalization of $17.78 billion, a PE ratio of 12.86 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 3.37 and a quick ratio of 2.93. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $91.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $86.37.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.06. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 19.84%. The business had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.78 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.89 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.22%.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In related news, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 2,766 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.36, for a total value of $291,425.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 22,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,405,052.72. The trade was a 10.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 3,914 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.09, for a total transaction of $415,236.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 81,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,593,608.27. This trade represents a 4.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,895 shares of company stock valued at $1,018,517. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting CF Industries

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and constructive research—Barclays raised its price target and moved to overweight, and other firms have boosted near‑term outlooks, supporting buying interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: EPS forecasts ticked higher—Zacks and some analysts raised Q1/Q2 EPS estimates, reinforcing the view that recent earnings momentum can persist. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual call‑option activity—Large spike in call buying (roughly 7,500 calls, ~148% above normal) indicates short‑term bullish positioning that can amplify upward moves.
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals & shareholder returns—Recent quarter beat consensus on EPS and revenue and the company pays a modest dividend, giving investors income + earnings support.
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation re‑rating debate—Coverage pieces are assessing whether the rally has stretched valuation vs. fundamentals; this could slow momentum if future results fall short. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: DOJ antitrust probe—Federal investigators are probing the U.S. fertilizer market for possible price‑fixing and have named major fertilizer makers, including CF, which is the largest near‑term regulatory risk. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder litigation inquiry—A shareholder‑rights firm is investigating potential breaches of fiduciary duty by CF directors, adding legal and reputational risk. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider sales—Senior executives (SVP Michael McGrane and EVP Susan Menzel) sold shares in early March; while holdings remain large, these disclosures can be perceived negatively by some investors. SEC filings: Read More. and Read More.

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.