Lazard Asset Management LLC Cuts Stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Lazard Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 49.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 86,535 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 85,843 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $7,200,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James & Associates increased its position in CF Industries by 25.4% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 133,439 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,608,000 after acquiring an additional 27,027 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 29,902 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,377,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 34.5% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,587 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $393,000 after buying an additional 1,176 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in CF Industries by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 45,314 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,602,000 after buying an additional 2,985 shares during the period. Finally, Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI raised its position in CF Industries by 24.7% in the fourth quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI now owns 12,820 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,019,000 after acquiring an additional 2,536 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

CF Industries Stock Performance

CF stock opened at $74.68 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $74.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 3.55 and a current ratio of 3.94. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $69.13 and a one year high of $87.90. The firm has a market cap of $13.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.47, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.95.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.44). CF Industries had a net margin of 19.03% and a return on equity of 14.08%. The business had revenue of $1.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.85 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.68%. CF Industries’s payout ratio is currently 33.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on CF. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on CF Industries from $86.00 to $80.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 6th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of CF Industries from $86.00 to $78.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of CF Industries from $87.00 to $83.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $82.00 to $75.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $88.00 target price (down from $96.00) on shares of CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $82.87.

CF Industries Profile

CF Industries Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of hydrogen and nitrogen products for energy, fertilizer, emissions abatement, and other industrial activities in North America, Europe, and internationally. It operates through Ammonia, Granular Urea, UAN, AN, and Other segments.