Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC Takes $5.12 Million Position in CME Group Inc. $CME

Key Points

• Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC opened a new position in CME Group of 18,935 shares (~$5.12 million) in Q3, and several other hedge funds also added stakes leaving institutional ownership at about 87.75%.
• CME slightly beat quarterly expectations (EPS $2.77 vs. $2.75; revenue $1.65B vs. $1.64B) and increased its quarterly dividend to $1.30 (annualized $5.20, ~1.7% yield).
• There has been notable insider selling recently (5,248 shares, ~$1.62M in the last 90 days), and analyst views are mixed with a consensus "Hold" and average target ~$303.53, though some firms have raised targets (Rothschild to $347).

Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 18,935 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,116,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of CME. Cinctive Capital Management LP acquired a new position in CME Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,977,000. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. purchased a new position in CME Group during the 3rd quarter worth $242,000. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 3rd quarter worth $862,000. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 126,727 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,237,000 after acquiring an additional 6,468 shares during the period. Finally, 1248 Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 26.8% in the third 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. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CME Group Stock Up 0.1%

CME stock opened at $311.40 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The company's 50-day moving average price is $295.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $279.06. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $248.53 and a 52 week high of $329.16. The company has a market cap of $112.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.90, a P/E/G ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.24.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.75 by $0.02. CME Group had a net margin of 62.45% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.52 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. This is an increase from CME Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.59%.

CME Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn raised its price target on CME to $347 (maintaining a "neutral" rating), implying roughly double-digit upside from recent levels and offering fresh analyst support for the shares. Rothschild Co Redburn adjusts price target on CME to 347 from 333, maintains neutral rating
• Neutral Sentiment: CME’s CEO Terry Duffy publicly warned that U.S. government intervention in oil futures markets would be highly damaging; exchanges including CME have voiced opposition to potential Treasury action. This raises policy/regulatory risk for energy derivatives but also underscores the exchange’s central role in market integrity — a factor that can support trading volumes in energy products if volatility rises. US intervention in oil futures would be ‘biblical disaster’, CME warns CME Group CEO warns against US intervention in oil futures markets US intervention in oil futures market could be disastrous: CME Group
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reporting in recent feeds shows zero or nonsensical values and appears to be a data anomaly rather than a real bearish signal; treat those short-interest items with caution. (Market impact minimal until corrected.)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Ken Vroman (Chief Transformation Officer) sold about 5,160 shares (~$1.59M) and SEC filings show multiple recent insider sales across senior staff. While insider sales can be routine, the cadence and size may raise governance/owner-sentiment questions for some investors. CME Group’s Vroman sells $1.59 million in stock Insider Sale: Chief Transformation Officer of $CME Sells 5,160 Shares

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 4,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.65, for a total value of $1,300,530.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 43,007 shares in the company, valued at $13,317,117.55. This trade represents a 8.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Martin J. Gepsman sold 300 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.90, for a total value of $91,770.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 24,999 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,647,194.10. This trade represents a 1.19% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,248 shares of company stock valued at $1,616,700. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CME has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of CME Group from $305.00 to $328.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on CME Group from $201.00 to $209.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on CME Group from $304.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on CME Group from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised CME Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $303.53.

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.

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