Raymond James Trust N.A. Increases Holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its stake in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 7.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,552 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A.’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $263,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CF. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in CF Industries by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 590,213 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $46,922,000 after purchasing an additional 40,721 shares during the period. Councilmark Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in CF Industries during the first quarter worth about $1,251,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in CF Industries by 44.4% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 394,403 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,355,000 after buying an additional 121,272 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in CF Industries by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 458,297 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $36,400,000 after acquiring an additional 40,396 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries in the 1st quarter valued at about $610,000. Institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of CF Industries stock opened at $81.85 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $14.96 billion, a PE ratio of 13.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.95. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $75.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $77.83. The company has a quick ratio of 3.55, a current ratio of 3.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $69.13 and a 12-month high of $87.90.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The basic materials company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.50. CF Industries had a return on equity of 14.08% and a net margin of 19.03%. The company had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.70 EPS. CF Industries’s revenue was down 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.18 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CF has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $76.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on CF Industries from $87.00 to $83.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. Barclays raised CF Industries from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $80.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on CF Industries from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, CF Industries has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $86.91.

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.