Erste Asset Management GmbH Increases Stock Holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 124.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 13,450 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,450 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $1,140,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Achmea Investment Management B.V. grew its stake in CF Industries by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 18,816 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,605,000 after buying an additional 1,781 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of CF Industries by 89.4% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,974 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $168,000 after acquiring an additional 932 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 19,414 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,656,000 after acquiring an additional 2,612 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its position in CF Industries by 206.9% in the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 84,308 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $7,193,000 after purchasing an additional 56,837 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance acquired a new stake in CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth $338,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries

In other news, 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 value of $844,455.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 15,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,507,745. This trade represents a 35.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total value of $142,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 93,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,928,670. This represents a 1.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 11,889 shares of company stock valued at $1,130,955 over the last three months. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on CF. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $88.00 to $81.00 and set a “sector underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on CF Industries in a research note on Thursday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $86.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lowered their target price on CF Industries from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on CF Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of CF Industries from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $89.86.

CF Industries Stock Performance

CF Industries stock opened at $76.55 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $12.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.99. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $69.13 and a 12 month high of $98.25. 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 moving average is $85.79 and its 200-day moving average is $85.33.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last announced 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. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.52% and a return on equity of 15.50%. 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 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.61%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.54%.

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.