WCM Investment Management LLC Grows Stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

WCM Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 223.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,374 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,458 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $5,180,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CME. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CME Group by 570.6% in the fourth quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position in shares of 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 purchased a new position in CME Group in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted 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 worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Trading Up 0.2 %

CME stock opened at $244.83 on Monday. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $190.70 and a 52-week high of $249.02. 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 firm has a market cap of $88.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.74, a PEG ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 0.57. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $235.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $224.13.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. This is an increase from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.37%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on CME Group from $231.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $235.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $227.00 to $226.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Morgan Stanley increased 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. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of CME Group from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $229.27.

CME Group 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.