CME Group Inc. $CME Stock Sold by Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer reduced its CME Group stake by 0.4%, selling 4,574 shares and ending the quarter with 1.16 million shares worth approximately $305.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 87.75% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with CME carrying a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $314.44. Recent targets ranged from $230 to $333.
• CME Group reported quarterly EPS of $3.02 and revenue of $1.74 billion, exceeding estimates and marking 10.6% year-over-year revenue growth. The company also pays a $1.30 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 1.7% yield.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich decreased its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 0.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,164,492 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 4,574 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned 0.32% of CME Group worth $305,091,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of CME. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 37.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 364 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Columbia Bank acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group in the third quarter worth approximately $239,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in CME Group during the third quarter worth $23,694,000. SFE Investment Counsel acquired a new position in CME Group in the third quarter valued at about $228,000. Finally, Profund Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 10.5% in the third quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 3,498 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $916,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on CME shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $315.00 to $333.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Barclays raised their price objective on CME Group from $281.00 to $321.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded CME Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of CME Group from $226.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut CME Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $286.00 to $270.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $314.44.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In other CME Group news, Director William Shepard bought 293 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $268.76 per share, with a total value of $78,746.68. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 263,289 shares in the company, valued at $70,761,551.64. This represents a 0.11% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Martin Gepsman sold 400 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.50, for a total transaction of $121,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,244 shares in the company, valued at $7,636,310. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 20,900 shares of company stock valued at $5,871,155 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

CME Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CME opened at $303.14 on Monday. 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 $108.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.24. The firm's fifty day moving average is $280.34 and its 200-day moving average is $280.01. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $218.31 and a 52 week high of $329.16.

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

CME Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.66%.

CME Group Profile

CME Group Inc operates global derivatives marketplaces that provide trading, clearing and settlement services for futures and options contracts. Its products cover major asset classes, including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign currencies, agricultural commodities, energy and metals. The company also provides market data, benchmark information and related services used by financial institutions, corporations, producers, investors and other market participants.

CME Group's exchange portfolio includes CME, the Chicago Board of Trade, the New York Mercantile Exchange and COMEX.

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