Candriam S.C.A. Invests $2.24 Million in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Candriam S.C.A. bought a new position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 17,236 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,238,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CF. Stance Capital LLC acquired a new stake in CF Industries during the 3rd quarter worth about $42,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries in the second quarter worth about $44,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 46.3% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 493 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 69.8% during the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 552 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank upgraded shares of CF Industries from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $120.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. HSBC lowered their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $130.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of CF Industries from $94.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Berenberg Bank increased their target price on CF Industries from $86.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on CF Industries from $140.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $117.25.

CF Industries Stock Down 1.4%

CF Industries stock opened at $119.24 on Wednesday. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.42 and a twelve month 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. The firm has a market cap of $18.32 billion, a PE ratio of 10.71 and a beta of 0.40. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $114.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $108.63.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from CF Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.97%.

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.