Bridgewater Advisors Inc. Makes New $652,000 Investment in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Bridgewater Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,394 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $652,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 122.2% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 100 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 612.5% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in CME Group during the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in CME Group during the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

CME Group stock traded down $1.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $276.79. 673,162 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,172,826. CME Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $193.25 and a twelve month high of $290.79. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $276.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $260.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market cap of $99.74 billion, a PE ratio of 27.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 0.44.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.61 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.56 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 14.03% and a net margin of 57.71%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.50 EPS. Equities analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th were issued a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 9th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.81%. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $269.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Bank of America lifted their price target on CME Group from $200.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on CME Group from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded CME Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, July 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $261.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Phyllis M. Lockett sold 1,060 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.88, for a total value of $294,552.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,108 shares of the company's stock, valued at $863,651.04. This trade represents a 25.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles P. Carey sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.35, for a total value of $132,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,300,215. The trade was a 9.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,400 shares of company stock worth $3,680,610. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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.