Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Raises Stock Holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its stake in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 103.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,502 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,387 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board's holdings in CF Industries were worth $1,579,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in CF Industries in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 422.0% during the fourth quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 569 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 460 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of CF stock traded down $0.26 during trading on Monday, hitting $74.65. The company had a trading volume of 217,836 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,092,209. 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 Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.34 and a 52 week high of $98.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.84. The stock's 50-day moving average is $76.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.95.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 15.50% and a net margin of 20.52%. As a group, analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on CF shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded CF Industries from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $82.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of CF Industries to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $90.00 to $79.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of CF Industries in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $86.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on CF Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $89.86.

CF Industries Company 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.