CME Group Inc. $CME Shares Bought by BNP Paribas

Key Points

• BNP Paribas significantly increased its stake in CME Group, boosting holdings by 2,154.3% in the fourth quarter to 11,700 shares worth about $3.2 million.
• CME Group reported strong first-quarter earnings, with EPS of $3.36 topping estimates and revenue of $1.88 billion, up 14.5% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, payable June 25, for an annualized yield of 2.0%.

BNP Paribas grew its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 2,154.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,700 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 11,181 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas' holdings in CME Group were worth $3,196,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Asset Dedication LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 64.9% in the fourth quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 1,250.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 191.9% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 197.4% in the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Price Performance

CME Group stock opened at $257.76 on Tuesday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $292.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $289.45. The company has a market capitalization of $93.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.23. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $257.17 and a 1 year high of $329.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.25. CME Group had a net margin of 63.19% and a return on equity of 15.42%. The business 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 firm earned $2.80 EPS. The business's revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 44.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.63, for a total transaction of $1,752,536.39. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 27,702 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,438,860.26. This represents a 17.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 3,291 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.37, for a total transaction of $1,097,120.67. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 7,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,397,597.04. The trade was a 31.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 44,044 shares of company stock valued at $13,297,507 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CME. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of CME Group from $313.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (a-)" rating on shares of CME Group in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of CME Group from $340.00 to $323.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of CME Group from $275.00 to $267.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods began coverage on shares of CME Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $305.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CME Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $305.29.

CME Group Company Profile

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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