Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Purchases 42,600 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lifted its stake in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 21.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 242,622 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 42,600 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned about 0.14% of CF Industries worth $20,701,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in CF Industries in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CF Industries in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in CF Industries by 50.8% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 478 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in shares of CF Industries by 26.9% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 576 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company's stock.

CF Industries Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of CF Industries stock traded up $0.12 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $79.76. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,587,234 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,102,676. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $67.34 and a 52-week high of $98.25. The company has a market cap of $13.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.78, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.84. The firm's 50-day moving average is $76.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.45. The company has a quick ratio of 2.52, a current ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.40. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.52% and a return on equity of 15.50%. The company had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.50 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.51%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on CF shares. Bank of America raised shares of CF Industries from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, February 24th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of CF Industries from a "sector underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $81.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of CF Industries to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of CF Industries from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $86.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $89.29.

About CF Industries

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.