8,320 Shares in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Acquired by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 8,320 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $661,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CF. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in CF Industries by 101.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,014,385 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $342,026,000 after acquiring an additional 2,017,325 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in CF Industries by 221.8% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,825,115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $204,793,000 after buying an additional 1,947,268 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in CF Industries during the 4th quarter valued at $159,602,000. Boston Partners purchased a new stake in CF Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at $160,475,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in CF Industries by 34.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,213,654 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $447,019,000 after buying an additional 1,329,677 shares during the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CF Industries Stock Down 3.4 %

CF opened at $78.10 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $79.92. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $60.08 and a 52 week high of $87.90. The company has a market capitalization of $14.66 billion, a PE ratio of 9.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a quick ratio of 3.44, a current ratio of 3.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The basic materials company reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.12). CF Industries had a net margin of 23.00% and a return on equity of 18.44%. The company had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.51 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.35 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 39.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 15th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 14th. This is an increase from CF Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is 25.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries

In related news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.00, for a total value of $510,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 64,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,442,550. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of CF Industries from $98.00 to $97.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 16th. UBS Group lowered CF Industries from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $95.00 to $83.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $88.00 price objective (down from $96.00) on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays upgraded CF Industries from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on CF Industries in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $99.00 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $89.20.

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.