Saudi Central Bank Purchases 4,996 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Saudi Central Bank lifted its position in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 86.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,753 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 4,996 shares during the quarter. Saudi Central Bank’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $1,164,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Himension Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new stake in CF Industries in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Continuum Advisory LLC acquired a new position in CF Industries in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in CF Industries during the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake 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 worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

CF Industries Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:CF opened at $134.81 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $122.41 and its 200 day moving average is $118.99. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.42 and a 12-month high of $141.96. The stock has a market cap of $20.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.99, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 4.32, a current ratio of 4.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last released 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 company had revenue of $2.22 billion during 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 period in the previous year, the company posted $2.37 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 13.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. This is a boost from CF Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on CF shares. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on CF Industries from $135.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on CF Industries from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on CF Industries from $94.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on CF Industries from $115.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.56.

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.