Van ECK Associates Corp Acquires 61,140 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 369,321 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 61,140 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned 0.24% of CF Industries worth $33,128,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries during the second quarter worth approximately $129,574,000. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries during the second quarter valued at about $96,560,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of CF Industries by 926.2% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,118,446 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $102,897,000 after acquiring an additional 1,009,455 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,133,709 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $281,104,000 after acquiring an additional 568,710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management lifted its position in CF Industries by 106.3% in the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,053,802 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $94,526,000 after acquiring an additional 543,070 shares in the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CF has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays increased their price target on CF Industries from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of CF Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 14th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $72.00 target price on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price objective on CF Industries from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on CF Industries from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. One research 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 given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $96.87.

CF Industries Stock Up 9.1%

CF Industries stock opened at $120.07 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.34 and a beta of 0.68. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $93.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $86.95. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.34 and a 1-year high of $121.80. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Ashraf K. Malik sold 2,439 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.00, for a total value of $270,729.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 4,299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $477,189. This trade represents a 36.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 6,184 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.33, for a total transaction of $676,096.72. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 34,535 shares in the company, valued at $3,775,711.55. This represents a 15.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 47,118 shares of company stock valued at $5,280,588. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.