Sebold Capital Management Inc. Sells 113 Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Sebold Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 8.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,187 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 113 shares during the quarter. Sebold Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $250,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Power Corp of Canada purchased a new position in CME Group during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in CME Group during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. MayTech Global Investments LLC purchased a new position in CME Group during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in CME Group by 65.7% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Argus lifted their target price on CME Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Barclays boosted their price objective on CME Group from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “sell” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut CME Group from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $195.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $217.30.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of CME Group stock opened at $215.60 on Thursday. 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 52 week low of $175.73 and a 52 week high of $223.80. The company has a market cap of $77.61 billion, a PE ratio of 24.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.49. The business has a 50 day moving average of $211.90 and a 200 day moving average of $210.82.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.10. CME Group had a return on equity of 12.32% and a net margin of 57.83%. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.43 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.92 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 9.63 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This is an increase from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.86%.

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.