CF Industries Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:CF)

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Investors bought 9,109 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 64% compared to the typical daily volume of 5,547 put options.

Insider Activity at CF Industries

In other CF Industries news, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.00, for a total value of $510,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 64,030 shares in the company, valued at $5,442,550. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CF. Westside Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in CF Industries during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new position in CF Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Clear Street Markets LLC grew its position in CF Industries by 92.5% in the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 385 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CF Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC grew its position in CF Industries by 428.6% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $88.00 price objective (down from $96.00) on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Piper Sandler cut CF Industries from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $87.00 to $82.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on CF Industries in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $99.00 target price for the company. Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on CF Industries from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on CF Industries from $98.00 to $97.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $86.47.

CF Industries Stock Performance

CF Industries stock opened at $79.47 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $81.43 and its 200 day moving average is $79.74. The company has a quick ratio of 3.44, a current ratio of 3.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. CF Industries has a twelve month low of $60.08 and a twelve month high of $87.90. The company has a market capitalization of $14.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.14, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.03.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The basic materials company reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.51 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 23.00% and a return on equity of 18.44%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 39.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.35 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that CF Industries will post 5.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.52%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.51%.

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.