Victory Capital Management Inc. Cuts Holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its position in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 13.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,359,292 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 654,554 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $337,148,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of CF Industries by 878.2% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 17,941 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,609,000 after buying an additional 16,107 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of CF Industries by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 369,321 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,128,000 after buying an additional 61,140 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of CF Industries by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,170,171 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $90,501,000 after buying an additional 248,020 shares during the period. AIA Group Ltd purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 3rd quarter worth $376,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of CF Industries by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 370,328 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,218,000 after buying an additional 12,000 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In other news, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 3,499 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.38, for a total transaction of $438,704.62. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 31,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,891,293.68. The trade was a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.00, for a total value of $756,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 69,472 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,753,472. The trade was a 7.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,999 shares of company stock valued at $1,381,740. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Mizuho raised their price objective on CF Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on CF Industries from $86.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on CF Industries from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on CF Industries from $95.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce boosted their price objective on CF Industries from $118.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four 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, CF Industries currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $119.00.

CF Industries Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of CF opened at $109.36 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $120.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $103.65. The stock has a market cap of $16.80 billion, a PE ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.38. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.42 and a 12 month high of $141.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 3.54 and a quick ratio of 3.15.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.63 by $1.35. CF Industries had a return on equity of 20.93% and a net margin of 23.73%.The business had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.85 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 15.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. CF Industries’s payout ratio 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.