Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Decreases Stake in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich reduced its holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 10.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 67,175 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 7,908 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $5,179,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CF. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in CF Industries during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Peterson Wealth Services increased its position in CF Industries by 451.3% during the third quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in CF Industries during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Stance Capital LLC acquired a new stake in CF Industries during the third quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in CF Industries during the second quarter worth about $44,000. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CF Industries Price Performance

CF Industries stock opened at $125.24 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $123.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $98.99. The company has a market capitalization of $19.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.25 and a beta of 0.42. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.42 and a 1 year high of $141.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 3.15 and a current ratio of 3.54.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.63 by $1.35. The business had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 23.73% and a return on equity of 20.93%. The business’s revenue was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 14.82 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. CF Industries’s payout ratio is 17.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on CF. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of CF Industries from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $103.00 to $106.00 in a research report on Thursday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of CF Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $95.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CF Industries has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $118.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.00, for a total value of $756,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 69,472 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,753,472. The trade was a 7.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Erik M. Mayer sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.69, for a total transaction of $187,035.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 6,341 shares in the company, valued at $790,659.29. This trade represents a 19.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 82,408 shares of company stock worth $9,971,298. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

About CF Industries

CF Industries Holdings, Inc is a leading global manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products for agricultural and industrial customers. The company specializes in the production of ammonia, granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), nitric acid and ammonium nitrate, which serve as key inputs for fertilizer blends, industrial chemicals and other downstream applications.

Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, CF Industries operates production facilities and distribution terminals across North America and the United Kingdom.