Demars Financial Group LLC Boosts Stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Demars Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,352 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Demars Financial Group LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $495,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of CME Group by 966.7% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Atticus Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 87.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Down 0.4 %

CME stock opened at $216.01 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $214.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $211.92. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $175.73 and a 12 month high of $223.80. The company has a market cap of $77.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.06 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.43 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 57.83% and a return on equity of 12.32%. CME Group’s quarterly revenue was up 19.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.92 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 9.58 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.13%. This is an increase from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on CME. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “sell” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of CME Group from $225.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $210.00 price target (down previously from $235.00) on shares of CME Group in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $229.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $215.70.

About CME Group

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.