Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Purchases 50,200 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. boosted its position in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 214.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 73,600 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 50,200 shares during the period. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc.’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $6,280,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Korea Investment CORP increased its position in CF Industries by 88.5% in the 4th quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 150,374 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $12,830,000 after acquiring an additional 70,585 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its position in shares of CF Industries by 2,848.4% during the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 290,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $24,776,000 after buying an additional 280,535 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of CF Industries by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,792,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $494,202,000 after buying an additional 225,109 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of CF Industries by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 171,807 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,543,000 after buying an additional 21,632 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CF Industries Stock Performance

Shares of CF opened at $86.21 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 2.52 and a current ratio of 3.08. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $67.34 and a twelve month high of $98.25. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $77.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $83.31. The firm has a market cap of $14.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.73, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.94.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.38. The business had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. CF Industries had a net margin of 20.52% and a return on equity of 15.50%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.03 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, May 7th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the basic materials company to repurchase up to 14.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CF has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of CF Industries from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $79.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Scotiabank raised shares of CF Industries from a “sector underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $81.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut shares of CF Industries from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $90.21.

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.