CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) is J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's 9th Largest Position

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lessened its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 450,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 2,809 shares during the period. CME Group comprises about 1.8% of J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG owned 0.13% of CME Group worth $104,679,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter valued at $1,107,389,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $871,063,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in CME Group by 70.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,427,107 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $544,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,003,119 shares during the last quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 69.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 2,435,823 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $565,671,000 after purchasing an additional 996,498 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Egerton Capital UK LLP bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $223,967,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.17, for a total transaction of $2,888,378.64. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 21,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,453,085.45. This represents a 34.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 3,984 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.47, for a total transaction of $997,872.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 27,046 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,774,211.62. This trade represents a 12.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 27,076 shares of company stock worth $6,871,496. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

CME stock traded up $3.03 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $266.30. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,709,100 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,154,441. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $190.70 and a 1 year high of $273.42. The stock has a market cap of $95.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.54, a PEG ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.43. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $258.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $241.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.61 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 57.52% and a return on equity of 13.62%. On average, equities analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This is a boost from CME Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. CME Group's payout ratio is 51.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of CME Group from $265.00 to $273.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $275.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Erste Group Bank raised CME Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on CME Group from $223.00 to $211.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $269.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $256.80.

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.