Monthly Archives: August 2017

Investors in CF Industries Holdings, Inc. CF need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the August 18 th , 2017 $22.50 Call had some of the highest implied volatility of all equity options today.

What is Implied Volatility?

Implied volatility shows how much movement the market is expecting in the future. Options with high levels of implied volatility suggest that investors in the underlying stocks are expecting a big move in one direction or the other. It could also mean there is an event coming up soon that may cause a big rally or a huge sell off. However, implied volatility is only one piece of the puzzle when putting together an options trading strategy.

What do the Analysts Think?

Clearly, options traders are pricing in a big move for CF Industries Holdings shares, but what is the fundamental picture for the company? Currently, CF Industries Holdings is a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) in the Fertilizers industry that ranks in the Bottom 33% of our Zacks Industry Rank. Over the last 60 days, no analysts have increased their earnings estimates for the current quarter, while four has dropped their estimates. The net effect has taken our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter from a loss of 23 cents per share to a loss of 51 cents in that period.

Given the way analysts feel about CF Industries Holdings right now, this huge implied volatility could mean there's a trade developing. Often times, options traders look for options with high levels of implied volatility to sell premium. This is a strategy many seasoned traders use because it captures decay. At expiration, the hope for these traders is that the underlying stock does not move as much as originally expected.

Looking to Trade Options?

Each week, our very own Dave Bartosiak gives his top options trades. Check out his recent live analysis and options trade for the NFLX earnings report completely free. See it here: Bartosiak: Trading Netflix's (NFLX) Earnings with Options or check out the embedded video below for more details:

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Zacks Investment Research

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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Options Traders Expect Huge Moves in CF Industries Holdings (CF) Stock - Nasdaq

Richard Skrip cleaned up Carolina Forest.

Now the beautification group he founded will have to carry on that work without his leadership.

Skrip resigned as president of Beautify Carolina Forest last month after a heated dispute with local real estate agents over open house signs, the groups volunteers said.

The disagreement grew so intense that someone went to Skrips house on July 24 and yelled at him for picking up the signs, according to an Horry County police report.

Skrip told the officer he and other Beautify Carolina Forest volunteers had removed the signs because they were illegally placed in the right of way, the report said. The other person involved was not identified in the report.

No one was arrested in the incident and the officer said he would look into whether any county policies were violated.

In an email to the Chronicle, Skrip did not elaborate on his reasons for leaving the organization he built, though he offered encouragement for those still involved with it.

The volunteers deserve support from the community and its leaders to continue beautification efforts, Skrip said.

I believe we set the groundwork over the past three years to improve the appearance of Carolina Forest and hope that others have been inspired to continue to beautify this community.

The remaining members said the departure of Skrip, who had been the groups president, and his wife Cindy will leave a tremendous void.

Rich and Cindy have made Carolina Forest a better and cleaner place to live with their tireless work, said Betsy Fay, one of the volunteers with Beautify Carolina Forest. They will both be missed, and I hope in the future they will be back as volunteers.

The Skrips started mowing the grass around the medians on Carolina Forest Boulevard after the local property owners association dissolved, Fay said.

Initially, they worked alone. But when people began asking questions about the couple cutting the grass, other volunteers came forward.

In 2014, the Skrips formed a beautification committee for the Carolina Forest Civic Association. Eventually, they founded the nonprofit, Beautify Carolina Forest.

The organization began hosting monthly litter cleanups, obtained state grants for planting crape myrtles, replaced the lighting on the big green Carolina Forest sign, and began sprucing up the communitys neglected gateways.

Through all this, Richard and Cindy were there, said Beautify Carolina Forest volunteer Dan Kniola. Without their diligent scheduling and messaging, this effort might have fallen apart.

Kniola met Richard Skrip through the civic association. Like Skrip, he was a retiree and he agreed picking up litter would be a worthwhile use of his time. He was impressed with Skrips organizational skills, how he sent out reminders, made sure there were always enough gloves, vests and bags for everyone, and made sure new volunteers signed the proper forms.

He watched as the organization grew to more than 70 volunteers.

Richard is driven, Kniola said.

Carol Franceski, Beautify Carolina Forests secretary, agrees. After Skrips resignation, she posted her praise on Facebook.

I am sure most [people] dont know what goes into dealing with the county to get things accomplished and approved,she wrote. It is a head banging job.

Franceski credits Skrip with highlighting the appearance problems in Carolina Forest.

The biggest accomplishment is making all the residents of CF aware of our area and the need to keep it clean and beautiful, she said.

Skrips effort to clear up illegal signs had been going on for years. Small markers would litter medians and get shredded by lawnmowers. Some ended up in the street.

County policy prohibits those signs from being left in the right of way, but county leaders have allowed real estate agents to put up open house signs on the weekends as long as they remove them before the work week begins.

It was just an unwritten rule: If yall pick them up after youre done with them on Sundays, we wont give you a hard time about it, Horry County Councilman Johnny Vaught said. Live and let live.

Vaught had hoped there could be a compromise.

Per county policy, the county should have been removing the signs, not the volunteers.

Vaught said he wouldnt have cared if the volunteers had hauled off the signs on weekdays, but the problem was county officials had given permission to real estate agents to place the signs on weekends, the same time the cleanup groups were out.

They were both doing what they thought they could do, he said.

Some of the remaining Beautify volunteers are upset with the way the county handled the situation. Theyre also disappointed about losing Skrip.

It is sad that a resource valuable to the county and the community is struck down while beraters become the apparent winners in a game where presumably all residents should win, Kniola said. If we can hold this together, it wont have the impetus it once did.

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Beautify CF leader quits amid fight over signs - Myhorrynews

Shares of CF Industries Holdings Inc (CF) have seen the needle move 0.76% or 0.23 in the most recent session. The NYSE listed companysaw a recent bid of 30.69 on 513521 volume.

Investors may be trying to decide if the current market environment remains bullish. It can be extremely difficult to decide when to sell, especially when data seems positive and most signs are pointing higher. Jumping in to buy stocks on a pullback may seem like a good idea, but following specific sectors may become increasingly more important. Following long-term trends may help the investor see the bigger picture of what has been going on with a specific stock or sector. Deciding to sell a winner after a big run can be tempting, but knowing the underlying causes for the run may help identify if there may indeed be more room for gains. Avoiding common investing pitfalls may take many years to master, but it may end up determining long-term success.

Now letstake a look at how the fundamentals are stacking up for CF Industries Holdings Inc (CF). Fundamental analysis takes into consideration market, industry and stock conditions to help determine if the shares are correctly valued. CF Industries Holdings Inc currently has a yearly EPS of -1.40. This number is derived from the total net income divided by shares outstanding. In other words, EPS reveals how profitable a company is on a share owner basis.

Another key indicator that can help investors determine if a stock might be a quality investment is the Return on Equity or ROE. CF Industries Holdings Inc (CF) currently has Return on Equity of -8.91. ROE is a ratio that measures profits generated from the investments received from shareholders. In other words, the ratio reveals how effective the firm is at turning shareholder investment into company profits. A company with high ROE typically reflects well on management and how well a company is run at a high level. A firm with a lower ROE might encourage potential investors to dig further to see why profits arent being generated from shareholder money.

Another ratio we can look at is the Return on Invested Capital or more commonly referred to as ROIC. CF Industries Holdings Inc (CF) has a current ROIC of -1.91. ROIC is calculated by dividing Net Income Dividends by Total Capital Invested.

Similar to ROE, ROIC measures how effectively company management is using invested capital to generate company income. A high ROIC number typically reflects positively on company management while a low number typically reflects the opposite.

Turning to Return on Assets or ROA, CF Industries Holdings Inc (CF) has a current ROA of -1.39. This is a profitability ratio that measures net income generated from total company assets during a given period. This ratio reveals how quick a company can turn its assets into profits. In other words, the ratio provides insight into the profitability of a firms assets. The ratio is calculated by dividing total net income by the average total assets. A higher ROA compared to peers in the same industry, would suggest that company management is able to effectively generate profits from their assets. Similar to the other ratios, a lower number might raise red flags about managements ability when compared to other companies in a similar sector.

Trying to project the day to day short-term movements of the stock market may be all but impossible. Stocks have the tendency to make sudden moves on even the slightest bit of news or for apparently no reason at all. The daily trader may be looking to capitalize on swings or momentum, but the long-term investor may be searching for stability and consistency over a sustained period of time. During trading sessions, stock movements can seem like a popularity contest from time to time. Even after careful study, there may be no logical reason for a particular stock move. Riding out the waves of uncertainty may not be easy, but having a full-proof plan for when markets erode may just be the savior. Having the patience to wait out abnormal moves may help evade the mistake of letting go too soon out of panic.

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Volume Moving the Tape For CF Industries Holdings Inc (CF) - Morgan Research