AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Buys 73,125 Shares of CME Group Inc. $CME

Key Points

• AEGON Asset Management UK Plc increased its stake in CME Group by 25.2% in the first quarter, buying 73,125 additional shares to bring its total holding to 362,908 shares worth about $107.2 million.
• CME Group posted strong quarterly results, with earnings of $3.36 per share beating estimates and revenue rising 14.5% year over year to $1.88 billion. Analysts expect the company to earn 12.28 EPS for the full fiscal year.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, payable June 25, implying a 2.1% annualized yield. Meanwhile, analyst sentiment remains mostly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $305.18.

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc raised its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 25.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 362,908 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 73,125 shares during the quarter. CME Group accounts for about 1.4% of AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc owned about 0.10% of CME Group worth $107,237,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. West Family Investments Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 1.2% in the third quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 3,062 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $827,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC increased its stake in CME Group by 64.9% during the fourth quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC increased its stake in CME Group by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 11,523 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,147,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group increased its stake in CME Group by 4.3% during the third quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 898 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, 1248 Management LLC raised its holdings in CME Group by 26.8% in the 3rd quarter. 1248 Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on CME. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on CME Group from $340.00 to $323.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings lowered CME Group from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded CME Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $316.00 to $323.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on CME Group from $362.00 to $353.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of CME Group from $342.00 to $322.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $305.18.

CME Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CME opened at $246.38 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.28 billion, a PE ratio of 21.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.21. 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 12-month low of $244.56 and a 12-month high of $329.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $279.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $287.21.

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

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.37%.

Key CME Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting CME Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CME continues to be highlighted as a dividend and value stock, with analysts noting its strong capital returns, electronic trading growth, and global product expansion could support a long-term rebound. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: One market note said CME may be undervalued after the CEO succession announcement, suggesting the stock could have upside if investors view the leadership transition as orderly. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: CME named longtime finance chief Julie Winkler as its next CEO, while Terry Duffy will step into an executive chairman role; the move appears planned and may reduce uncertainty, but it also marks a major leadership change. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is also taking legal action against the CFTC over approval of perpetual crypto futures, arguing the products should be treated as swaps rather than futures. The case could affect CME’s role in crypto derivatives, but the financial impact is still uncertain. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs kept a Sell rating on CME and trimmed its price target, citing leadership transition risk and regulatory uncertainty, which may be weighing on sentiment. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other CME Group news, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.63, for a total transaction of $1,752,536.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 27,702 shares in the company, valued at $8,438,860.26. This represents a 17.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.51, for a total value of $10,447,850.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 55,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,606,111.30. This represents a 38.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About CME Group

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.