Short Interest in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Rises By 11.0%

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,060,000 shares, an increase of 11.0% from the June 30th total of 4,560,000 shares. Approximately 2.8% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,070,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.4 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CF has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays dropped their price objective on CF Industries from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $87.00 to $83.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of CF Industries from $86.00 to $80.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 6th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $88.00 price target (down previously from $96.00) on shares of CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lifted their price objective on CF Industries from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CF Industries presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $82.87.

CF Industries Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE:CF traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $76.38. 1,540,861 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,287,813. The company has a market cap of $13.96 billion, a PE ratio of 12.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 3.94 and a quick ratio of 3.55. CF Industries has a one year low of $69.13 and a one year high of $87.90. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $74.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.50.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.44). The company had revenue of $1.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.46 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 14.08% and a net margin of 19.03%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 26.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.85 EPS. Equities analysts predict that CF Industries will post 5.18 EPS for the current year.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.62%. CF Industries’s payout ratio is presently 33.22%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CF Industries

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in CF Industries by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,236 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 3,089 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in CF Industries by 8.5% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,869 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC boosted its position in CF Industries by 24.0% in the first quarter. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 791 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank increased its position in shares of CF Industries by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 33,616 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,797,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

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.