Short Interest in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Decreases By 17.4%

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 8,953,874 shares, a decline of 17.4% from the February 26th total of 10,835,950 shares. Approximately 5.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 7,657,985 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.2 days.

CF Industries Stock Performance

NYSE:CF traded down $7.65 on Tuesday, hitting $129.95. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 7,046,708 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,322,757. CF Industries has a one year low of $67.34 and a one year high of $141.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.44 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $106.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $91.17. 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 posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.The business had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.78 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that CF Industries will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.22%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CF Industries news, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 3,499 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.38, for a total transaction of $438,704.62. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 31,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,891,293.68. The trade was a 10.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.00, for a total value of $756,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 69,472 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,753,472. The trade was a 7.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 82,408 shares of company stock valued at $9,971,298 over the last 90 days. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of CF Industries by 78.0% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 292 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 396.2% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 387 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in CF Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in CF Industries by 46.3% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Peterson Wealth Services grew its holdings in CF Industries by 451.3% in the 3rd quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded CF Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 14th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on 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. raised their target price on shares of CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of CF Industries from $86.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $103.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Friday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, CF Industries has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $104.93.

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.