CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF – Get Rating) shares dropped 7% during mid-day trading on Thursday after UBS Group lowered their price target on the stock from $125.00 to $105.00. The company traded as low as $79.19 and last traded at $79.59. Approximately 92,445 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 97% from the average daily volume of 3,499,416 shares. The stock had previously closed at $85.54.
A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on CF. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of CF Industries from $91.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 16th. Citigroup lowered shares of CF Industries from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $123.00 to $99.00 in a research report on Friday, June 17th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Thursday, March 31st. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $105.00 to $100.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $66.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $95.16.
In other news, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 6,684 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.90, for a total value of $634,311.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 45,243 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,293,560.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of CF Industries by 64.3% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of CF Industries by 121.1% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 398 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of CF Industries by 46.4% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 530 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. 93.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
The business’s 50-day moving average price is $92.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.71 billion, a PE ratio of 11.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.
CF Industries (NYSE:CF – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 4th. The basic materials company reported $4.21 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.21. CF Industries had a return on equity of 35.04% and a net margin of 19.73%. The firm had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.70 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 173.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 19.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 31st. Investors of record on Monday, May 16th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 13th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.00%. This is an increase from CF Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.62%.
About CF Industries (NYSE:CF)
CF Industries Holdings, Inc manufactures and sells hydrogen and nitrogen products for energy, fertilizer, emissions abatement, and other industrial activities worldwide. Its principal products include anhydrous ammonia, granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate, and ammonium nitrate products. The company also offers diesel exhaust fluid, urea liquor, nitric acid, and aqua ammonia products; and compound fertilizer products with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.