New York State Common Retirement Fund Has $14.21 Million Stock Position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 19.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 178,720 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 28,579 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.09% of CF Industries worth $14,208,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CF. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 34.2% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,329,677 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in CF Industries by 4.3% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,644,100 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $312,445,000 after buying an additional 151,148 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in CF Industries by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,078,652 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $244,753,000 after acquiring an additional 204,536 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new position in CF Industries during the third quarter worth about $160,475,000. Finally, Earnest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 7.4% in the third quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,714,890 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $147,035,000 after acquiring an additional 118,308 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on CF. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Friday, February 16th. UBS Group downgraded CF Industries from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $83.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $88.00 target price (down previously from $96.00) on shares of CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on CF Industries from $98.00 to $97.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research began 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, eleven have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.47.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CF opened at $80.83 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.17 billion, a PE ratio of 10.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 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 Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $60.08 and a twelve month high of $87.90. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $81.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.53.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The basic materials company reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.51 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 18.44% and a net margin of 23.00%. The business’s revenue was down 39.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.35 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.86 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.47%. CF Industries’s payout ratio is currently 25.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CF Industries

In other news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 64,030 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,442,550. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

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.