Martin Capital Partners LLC Sells 8,387 Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Martin Capital Partners LLC cut its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 46.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 9,739 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,387 shares during the period. CME Group accounts for approximately 2.7% of Martin Capital Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Martin Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $2,262,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CME. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the third quarter worth $26,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in shares of CME Group by 570.6% during the fourth quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in 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 buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on CME. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $244.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of CME Group from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of CME Group from $227.00 to $226.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup cut CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on CME Group from $250.00 to $258.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $229.27.

CME Group Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ CME opened at $242.53 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The business’s 50 day moving average is $235.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $223.36. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $190.70 and a 52-week high of $249.02. The firm has a market cap of $87.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.50, a PEG ratio of 5.37 and a beta of 0.57.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 27th were given a $5.80 dividend. This is an increase from CME Group’s previous dividend of $2.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 27th. CME Group’s payout ratio is currently 48.37%.

CME Group announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, December 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.