Investors Purchase High Volume of CF Industries Call Options (NYSE:CF)

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders purchased 8,741 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 37% compared to the average daily volume of 6,360 call options.

CF Industries Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of CF Industries stock traded up $3.65 during trading on Thursday, hitting $131.76. 1,503,077 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,052,617. The stock has a market cap of $20.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.73 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a current ratio of 3.37. CF Industries has a twelve month low of $67.34 and a twelve month high of $137.44. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $102.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $89.77.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.The firm’s revenue was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.89 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that CF Industries will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. CF Industries’s dividend payout ratio is 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on CF shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of CF Industries from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of CF Industries from $86.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CF Industries has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $104.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Susan L. Menzel sold 18,041 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.06, for a total value of $2,454,658.46. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 55,762 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,586,977.72. This trade represents a 24.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Bert A. Frost sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.00, for a total value of $756,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 69,472 shares in the company, valued at $8,753,472. The trade was a 7.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 82,408 shares of company stock valued at $9,971,298 over the last quarter. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CF Industries

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CF. State Street Corp raised its holdings in CF Industries by 2.1% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,982,072 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $734,351,000 after buying an additional 165,833 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CF Industries by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,013,846 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $449,742,000 after acquiring an additional 480,126 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 37.6% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,312,225 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $333,501,000 after acquiring an additional 1,178,516 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its holdings in shares of CF Industries by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,587,999 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $321,852,000 after acquiring an additional 476,769 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of CF Industries by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,570,249 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $276,123,000 after acquiring an additional 381,716 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.06% of the company’s stock.

About CF Industries

CF Industries Holdings, Inc is a leading global manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products for agricultural and industrial customers. The company specializes in the production of ammonia, granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), nitric acid and ammonium nitrate, which serve as key inputs for fertilizer blends, industrial chemicals and other downstream applications.

Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, CF Industries operates production facilities and distribution terminals across North America and the United Kingdom.