CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Stock Holdings Lessened by Machina Capital S.A.S.

Machina Capital S.A.S. cut its stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 65.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,486 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 4,695 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S.'s holdings in CF Industries were worth $212,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in CF Industries by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,188,648 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $359,386,000 after purchasing an additional 549,569 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in CF Industries by 68.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 737,352 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $63,263,000 after acquiring an additional 300,873 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,286,745 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $711,003,000 after purchasing an additional 300,050 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 2,848.4% during the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 290,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $24,776,000 after acquiring an additional 280,535 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in CF Industries by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,792,339 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $494,202,000 after purchasing an additional 225,109 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.06% of the company's stock.

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CF Industries Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE:CF traded down $0.93 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $76.78. The stock had a trading volume of 2,556,997 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,070,620. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 3.08 and a quick ratio of 2.52. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $85.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.39. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $69.13 and a 1-year high of $98.25. The company has a market capitalization of $13.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.99.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.40. CF Industries had a return on equity of 15.50% and a net margin of 20.52%. The firm had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.50 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.60%. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.54%.

Insider Activity

In other CF Industries news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.00, for a total value of $144,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 92,486 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,878,656. This trade represents a 1.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Ashraf K. Malik sold 8,889 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $844,455.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 15,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,507,745. This trade represents a 35.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 11,889 shares of company stock valued at $1,130,955. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on CF shares. UBS Group dropped their price target on CF Industries from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on CF Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded CF Industries from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $75.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Thursday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $86.00 target price for the company. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $88.00 to $81.00 and set a "sector underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $89.86.

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.