Greenwood Capital Associates LLC Has $7.69 Million Holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Greenwood Capital Associates LLC decreased its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 33,094 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 655 shares during the quarter. CME Group comprises about 1.0% of Greenwood Capital Associates LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $7,685,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in CME Group during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its holdings in shares of CME Group by 570.6% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake in CME Group by 188.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in 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 fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on CME shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $210.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $235.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a report on Monday, January 6th. Redburn Atlantic lowered CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $244.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays boosted their price target on CME Group from $231.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded shares of CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $229.27.

CME Group Price Performance

CME Group stock opened at $239.29 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $234.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $222.78. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $190.70 and a 12 month high of $249.02. The company has a market capitalization of $86.23 billion, a PE ratio of 25.14, a P/E/G ratio of 5.37 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

CME Group Increases Dividend

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

CME Group declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, December 5th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are 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.