Manning & Napier Advisors LLC Takes Position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 6,279 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $680,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Himension Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in CF Industries during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd boosted its position in CF Industries by 36.6% during the first quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 418 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in CF Industries by 39.6% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 430 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

CF Industries Price Performance

CF Industries stock opened at $127.30 on Wednesday. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.42 and a 1 year high of $141.96. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $116.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $116.34. The company has a market cap of $19.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.44, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 4.32 and a current ratio of 4.86.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.73 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.63 by ($0.90). The company had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.45 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 24.41% and a net margin of 27.12%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.37 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 13.7 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from CF Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. CF Industries’s payout ratio is currently 17.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on CF Industries from $94.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on CF Industries from $133.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on CF Industries from $103.00 to $106.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research lowered CF Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded CF Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.56.

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.