CME Group Inc. $CME Shares Bought by M&G PLC

M&G PLC boosted its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 20.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,329,259 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 221,469 shares during the period. CME Group accounts for 1.8% of M&G PLC's portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. M&G PLC owned about 0.37% of CME Group worth $348,266,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Community Trust NA acquired a new position in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH bought a new position in shares of CME Group in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Main Street Group LTD acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Compass Financial Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 471.4% during the third quarter. Compass Financial Management LLC now owns 120 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Howard J. Siegel sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.00, for a total value of $606,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 19,873 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,021,519. This trade represents a 9.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth A. Cook sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.11, for a total value of $140,055.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 17,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,018,450.76. This trade represents a 2.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 32,979 shares of company stock valued at $9,552,762. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

CME Group Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of CME Group stock opened at $304.52 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $109.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $218.31 and a 52-week high of $329.16. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $283.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $280.92.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $3.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.03. CME Group had a net margin of 63.33% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The firm had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.68 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 12.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on CME Group from $270.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. CLSA set a $367.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on CME Group from $315.00 to $333.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Barclays upped their price target on CME Group from $281.00 to $321.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on CME Group from $226.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $314.44.

CME Group Company Profile

CME Group operates a global marketplace for derivatives and other financial products. Through its exchanges—CME, CBOT, NYMEX and COMEX—it offers futures and options contracts tied to interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural products and metals.

The company also provides clearing and settlement services, market data and related products. Its electronic trading platform, CME Globex, supports access to its markets by participants around the world, alongside its open-outcry and privately negotiated trading services.

CME Group was formed in 2007 through the merger of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade, institutions with roots in the 19th century.

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