2,394 Shares in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Purchased by Bridgewater Advisors Inc.

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

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in CME Group during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 122.2% during the first 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 during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its position in CME Group by 612.5% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Finally, Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new stake in CME Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In other CME Group news, Director William R. Shepard purchased 256 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 25th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $270.53 per share, with a total value of $69,255.68. Following the acquisition, the director owned 258,196 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $69,849,763.88. This represents a 0.10% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Phyllis M. Lockett sold 1,060 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.88, for a total value of $294,552.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,108 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $863,651.04. The trade was a 25.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,400 shares of company stock valued at $3,680,610 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

CME Group Stock Up 0.2%

NASDAQ:CME traded up $0.68 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $278.21. The stock had a trading volume of 1,159,264 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,174,323. 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 company has a market capitalization of $100.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 0.44. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $193.25 and a 1-year high of $290.79. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $276.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $260.04.

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

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 9th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. CME Group's payout ratio is 50.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CME has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of CME Group from $223.00 to $211.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group increased their target price on CME Group from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Barclays lifted their price target on CME Group from $283.00 to $299.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered CME Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on CME Group from $265.00 to $273.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CME Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $261.80.

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.