Oak Harvest Investment Services Raises Holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Oak Harvest Investment Services raised its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,412 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 637 shares during the period. CME Group accounts for 1.8% of Oak Harvest Investment Services’ holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Oak Harvest Investment Services’ holdings in CME Group were worth $12,636,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. purchased a new stake in CME Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $313,000. Brown Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in CME Group in the second quarter worth about $644,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in CME Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $9,013,000. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the second quarter valued at $286,000. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new position in CME Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,087,000. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CME opened at $235.92 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $234.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $222.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $190.70 and a 1 year high of $249.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.02 billion, a PE ratio of 24.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.28 and a beta of 0.56.

CME Group declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program 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 buy up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 27th were paid a $5.80 dividend. This is a boost from CME Group’s previous dividend of $2.50. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 27th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other CME Group news, Director Martin J. Gepsman sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.92, for a total value of $89,168.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 25,067 shares in the company, valued at $5,587,935.64. This represents a 1.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Redburn Atlantic cut CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $244.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Citigroup cut shares of CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of CME Group from $260.00 to $256.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $195.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $235.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, CME Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $229.27.

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.