Empowered Funds LLC Lowers Stock Position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Empowered Funds LLC reduced its position in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 16.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 414,335 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 83,032 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $53,797,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Himension Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. bought a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew 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 valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CF Industries in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. WPG Advisers LLC increased its position 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 last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the second quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on CF. Barclays boosted their price objective on CF Industries from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $129.00 target price on shares of CF Industries in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of CF Industries from $135.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on CF Industries from $103.00 to $106.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Two research 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $116.69.

CF Industries Stock Performance

NYSE CF opened at $119.78 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $114.14 and its 200-day moving average is $111.44. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.42 and a 12-month high of $141.96. The company has a quick ratio of 3.15, a current ratio of 3.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market cap of $18.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.76 and a beta of 0.40.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

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

CF Industries Company Profile

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.