Legal & General Group Plc Sells 293,901 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF)

Legal & General Group Plc trimmed its holdings in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) by 27.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 775,358 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 293,901 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $66,154,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new stake in CF Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of CF Industries by 50.8% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 478 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in CF Industries in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC raised its position in CF Industries by 422.0% during the fourth quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 569 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CF Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CF opened at $72.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 2.52 and a current ratio of 3.08. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.34 and a 52 week high of $98.25. The firm has a market cap of $12.21 billion, a PE ratio of 10.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $77.92 and its 200-day moving average is $84.42.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 15.50% and a net margin of 20.52%. Sell-side analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on CF Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on CF Industries from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on CF Industries from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $86.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded shares of CF Industries from a “sector underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $81.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $89.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.00, for a total transaction of $144,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 92,486 shares in the company, valued at $8,878,656. This represents a 1.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Ashraf K. Malik sold 8,889 shares of CF Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total value of $844,455.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 15,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,507,745. The trade was a 35.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 11,889 shares of company stock worth $1,130,955. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

CF Industries 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.