CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) Shares Sold by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 49.8% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 86,535 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 85,843 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $7,200,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Westside Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in CF Industries during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 62.2% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 600 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of CF Industries in the first quarter worth approximately $55,000. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays lowered their price target 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. Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Scotiabank cut their target price on CF Industries from $86.00 to $80.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 6th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $88.00 price objective (down previously from $96.00) on shares of CF Industries in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on CF Industries from $86.00 to $78.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $82.87.

CF Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CF opened at $74.68 on Monday. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $69.13 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $74.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.95.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). CF Industries had a return on equity of 14.08% and a net margin of 19.03%. The firm had revenue of $1.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.85 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 26.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.68%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.22%.

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.