Lockerman Financial Group Inc. Takes Position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Lockerman Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 986 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $208,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the third quarter worth about $25,000. MayTech Global Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Power Corp of Canada purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Providence Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the first quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new position in CME Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Down 0.1 %

CME opened at $215.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $77.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.27, a PEG ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.49. CME Group Inc. has a one year low of $175.73 and a one year high of $223.80. The business’s fifty day moving average is $212.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $210.85.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.43 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 57.83% and a return on equity of 12.32%. The firm’s revenue was up 19.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.92 EPS. Analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 9.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. This is a positive change from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.