CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Short Interest Up 17.1% in January

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,400,000 shares, an increase of 17.1% from the January 15th total of 4,610,000 shares. Approximately 3.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,980,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.7 days.

CF Industries Stock Performance

NYSE:CF traded up $0.99 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $82.45. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,192,069 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,209,661. CF Industries has a fifty-two week low of $69.13 and a fifty-two week high of $98.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 2.81 and a quick ratio of 2.52. The firm has a market cap of $14.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 0.98. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $88.69 and its 200-day moving average is $85.39.

CF Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.65%.

Insider Transactions at CF Industries

In related news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 1,500 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.00, for a total transaction of $144,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 92,486 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,878,656. This trade represents a 1.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.00, for a total transaction of $264,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 103,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,077,640. This trade represents a 2.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 25,389 shares of company stock valued at $2,355,425. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at $109,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Bleakley Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at about $232,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in CF Industries by 29.7% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,472 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $727,000 after purchasing an additional 1,941 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in CF Industries by 7.6% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 143,050 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $12,274,000 after purchasing an additional 10,092 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on CF. Royal Bank of Canada lowered CF Industries from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $100.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector underperform” rating and issued a $88.00 target price on shares of CF Industries in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays cut shares of CF Industries from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $96.00 to $100.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $114.00 to $111.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of CF Industries from $91.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Three investment analysts have 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $92.43.

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.