Short Interest in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Declines By 8.5%

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,150,000 shares, a drop of 8.5% from the May 31st total of 5,630,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,300,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days. Approximately 2.8% of the shares of the company are short sold.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of CF stock traded down $0.87 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $69.96. 1,879,905 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,377,968. The company has a market cap of $12.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.95. CF Industries has a fifty-two week low of $67.97 and a fifty-two week high of $87.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 3.94 and a quick ratio of 3.55. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $76.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.61.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.44). CF Industries had a net margin of 19.03% and a return on equity of 14.08%. The company had revenue of $1.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.46 billion. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.85 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that CF Industries will post 5.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on CF shares. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on CF Industries from $86.00 to $80.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of CF Industries from $82.00 to $75.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $88.00 target price (down from $96.00) on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, Berenberg Bank increased their price objective on CF Industries from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CF Industries presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $85.00.

Institutional Trading of CF Industries

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $193,145,000. Boston Partners grew its position in shares of CF Industries by 37.5% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,063,854 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $254,920,000 after purchasing an additional 835,557 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of CF Industries by 68.8% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,546,331 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $122,933,000 after buying an additional 630,264 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of CF Industries by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,928,039 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $232,779,000 after acquiring an additional 414,785 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 137.0% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 580,518 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $48,305,000 after purchasing an additional 335,624 shares in the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CF Industries Company Profile

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.