CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Stake Lessened by Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.

Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 64.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,929 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 6,982 shares during the period. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $827,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group during the third quarter worth $25,000. MayTech Global Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Power Corp of Canada purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group during the first quarter worth $26,000. Providence Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group during the first quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of CME opened at $206.23 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $74.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.25, a P/E/G ratio of 5.95 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $175.73 and a 12 month high of $223.80. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $214.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $211.60.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.43 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 57.83% and a return on equity of 12.32%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.92 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 9.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $1.15 dividend. 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 2.23%. This is a boost from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. CME Group’s payout ratio is 51.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on CME shares. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of CME Group from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $195.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of CME Group from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of CME Group from $225.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $229.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Argus raised their price target on CME Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average 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.