Stiles Financial Services Inc Acquires 334 Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Stiles Financial Services Inc grew its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,638 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 334 shares during the quarter. CME Group accounts for approximately 1.2% of Stiles Financial Services Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Stiles Financial Services Inc’s holdings in CME Group were worth $3,401,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its position in CME Group by 570.6% during the 4th quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 188.4% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in CME Group by 120.3% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on CME shares. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on CME Group from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Citigroup cut shares of CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $255.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of CME Group from $250.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of CME Group from $210.00 to $233.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of CME Group from $227.00 to $226.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CME Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $229.27.

CME Group Stock Up 0.2 %

CME stock opened at $244.83 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $235.48 and a 200 day moving average of $224.13. The firm has a market cap of $88.23 billion, a PE ratio of 25.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 0.57. CME Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $190.70 and a twelve month high of $249.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This is an increase from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.04%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.37%.

CME Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, December 5th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

CME Group Company 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.