Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Makes New Investment in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 4,796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,108,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in CME Group by 0.6% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 7,810 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,723,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $96,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. First Affirmative Financial Network increased its stake in shares of CME Group by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 2,141 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $497,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its holdings in CME Group by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,530 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, Independent Wealth Network Inc. lifted its position in CME Group by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 2,683 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $623,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on CME. Redburn Atlantic downgraded CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $244.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of CME Group from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $210.00 to $233.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Citigroup downgraded shares of CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $255.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $231.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $229.27.

CME Group Price Performance

CME stock opened at $236.52 on Monday. CME Group Inc. has a one year low of $190.70 and a one year high of $249.02. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $234.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $222.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The company has a market capitalization of $85.23 billion, a PE ratio of 24.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.28 and a beta of 0.56.

CME Group Increases Dividend

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

CME Group announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, December 5th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding 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 an indication that the company’s leadership 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.