Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC Has $7.49 Million Stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,579 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 398 shares during the period. CME Group accounts for approximately 0.7% of Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $7,493,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Power Corp of Canada bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in CME Group during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. MayTech Global Investments LLC bought a new position in CME Group during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in CME Group by 65.7% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CME traded down $0.31 during trading on Thursday, hitting $215.29. 1,744,170 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,788,114. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $175.73 and a 1-year high of $223.80. The company has a market capitalization of $77.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The business’s 50 day moving average is $212.15 and its 200-day moving average is $210.85.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.10. CME Group had a return on equity of 12.32% and a net margin of 57.83%. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.92 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 9.63 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This is a positive change from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on CME shares. The Goldman Sachs Group cut CME Group from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $195.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on CME Group from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $217.30.

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.