Sigma Planning Corp Cuts Stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Sigma Planning Corp reduced its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 85.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,605 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 9,549 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in CME Group were worth $338,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in CME Group by 966.7% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in CME Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in CME Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Atticus Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in CME Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Down 0.8 %

CME stock opened at $210.94 on Friday. CME Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $175.73 and a twelve month high of $223.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The company has a market capitalization of $75.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.00, a PEG ratio of 5.92 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $214.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $211.87.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.06. CME Group had a net margin of 56.84% and a return on equity of 12.45%. The business had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.42 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 9.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. This is an increase from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of CME Group from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of CME Group from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $195.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Argus increased their target price on shares of CME Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $198.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $209.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $217.80.

CME Group Profile

CME Group Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates contract markets for the trading of futures and options on futures contracts worldwide. It offers futures and options products based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, agricultural commodities, energy, and metals, as well as fixed income and foreign currency trading services.