12,333 Shares in CME Group Inc. $CME Bought by North Dakota State Investment Board

Key Points

• North Dakota State Investment Board opened a new position in CME Group, buying 12,333 shares worth about $3.37 million in the fourth quarter.
• CME Group reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings per share of $3.36 versus the $3.11 estimate and revenue of $1.88 billion, up 14.5% year over year.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, which equals an annualized payout of $5.20 and a yield of about 1.7%.

North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 12,333 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,368,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Asset Dedication LLC raised its position in CME Group by 64.9% during the fourth quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its position in CME Group by 1,250.0% during the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID raised its position in CME Group by 191.9% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its position in CME Group by 197.4% during the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CME opened at $305.12 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $297.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $288.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $110.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $257.17 and a 52 week high of $329.16.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.77 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 63.19% and a return on equity of 15.42%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.80 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 12.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is 44.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In related news, Director Martin J. Gepsman sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.90, for a total value of $91,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 24,999 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,647,194.10. This represents a 1.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 4,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.65, for a total transaction of $1,300,530.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 43,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,317,117.55. This represents a 8.90% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 42,791 shares of company stock valued at $12,937,271 over the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CME has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of CME Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 26th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $310.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of CME Group from $342.00 to $322.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of CME Group from $343.00 to $316.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of CME Group from $340.00 to $323.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $305.29.

CME Group Company Profile

CME Group Inc is a global markets company that operates some of the world's largest and most liquid derivatives exchanges, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and COMEX. The firm offers futures and options contracts across a broad range of asset classes — including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities and metals — and serves a diverse client base of institutional investors, commercial hedgers, brokers and retail participants.

The company's core services include electronic trading on the CME Globex platform, central clearing through CME Clearing, and distribution of market data, indexes and analytics.

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