7,771 Shares in CME Group Inc. $CME Bought by FLC Capital Advisors

Key Points

• FLC Capital Advisors initiated a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter, buying 7,771 shares valued at about $2.12 million.
• CME Group reported better-than-expected first-quarter earnings, with EPS of $3.36 versus the $3.11 estimate and revenue of $1.88 billion, up 14.5% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 2.0%, while analysts currently have a consensus rating of Hold and a price target of $305.29.

FLC Capital Advisors acquired a new position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 7,771 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,122,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CME. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its holdings in CME Group by 64.9% during the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in CME Group during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID lifted its holdings in CME Group by 191.9% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its holdings in CME Group by 1,250.0% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in CME Group by 197.4% during the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.63, for a total value of $1,752,536.39. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 27,702 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,438,860.26. The trade was a 17.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 3,291 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.37, for a total value of $1,097,120.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 7,192 shares in the company, valued at $2,397,597.04. This represents a 31.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 44,044 shares of company stock valued at $13,297,507 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. TD Cowen cut their target price on CME Group from $340.00 to $323.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on CME Group from $275.00 to $267.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on CME Group from $356.00 to $349.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on CME Group from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Argus reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of CME Group in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $305.29.

CME Group Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:CME opened at $257.40 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $93.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The business's 50-day moving average is $288.35 and its 200-day moving average is $288.60. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $244.56 and a 1 year high of $329.16.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 63.19%.The firm's revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.80 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. CME Group's payout ratio is currently 44.37%.

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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