Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Buys 3,016 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 148.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,046 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,016 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $394,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Curat Global LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 50.8% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 478 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 118.5% in the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 542 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on CF shares. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on CF Industries in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $86.00 price objective for the company. Barclays increased their price target on CF Industries from $87.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Scotiabank upgraded CF Industries from a “sector underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $81.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Oppenheimer cut CF Industries from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on CF Industries from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $90.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CF Industries news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.23, for a total transaction of $1,002,300.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 87,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,812,522.29. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

CF Industries Stock Down 3.3%

CF Industries stock opened at $91.54 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $15.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.06 and a beta of 0.97. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.34 and a 52 week high of $104.45. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $87.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $84.56. The company has a quick ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 17.39% and a net margin of 21.80%. CF Industries’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.03 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.35%.

CF Industries declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 7th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the basic materials company to buy up to 14.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.