CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Sold by Boltwood Capital Management

Boltwood Capital Management decreased its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 32.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,500 shares during the quarter. Boltwood Capital Management's holdings in CME Group were worth $822,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CME. Norges Bank purchased a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,107,389,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in CME Group by 89.9% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,280,785 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,923,047,000 after purchasing an additional 3,921,278 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in CME Group in the fourth quarter valued at $871,063,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in CME Group by 32,941.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,858,887 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $493,144,000 after purchasing an additional 1,853,261 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Wealth Planning LLC raised its position in 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays lifted their target price on CME Group from $279.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on CME Group from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $269.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on CME Group from $275.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on CME Group from $265.00 to $273.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CME Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $258.20.

CME Group Stock Down 1.1%

NASDAQ CME traded down $2.98 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $274.90. 1,957,832 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,186,594. The company has a 50 day moving average of $271.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $252.28. 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 Inc. has a 52-week low of $190.70 and a 52-week high of $290.79. The firm has a market cap of $99.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.43, a PEG ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.45.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.61 by $0.19. CME Group had a return on equity of 13.62% and a net margin of 57.52%. The company had revenue of $1.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.50 EPS. CME Group's revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.30%.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other news, insider Derek Sammann sold 4,650 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.61, for a total transaction of $1,304,836.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,336 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,339,164.96. This represents a 35.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.56, for a total value of $817,680.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,471,824. This represents a 35.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 22,900 shares of company stock valued at $6,147,935. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About CME Group

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.