CME Group Inc. $CME Stock: Vontobel Holding Ltd. Trims Holdings

Key Points

• Vontobel Holding cut its CME Group stake by 63.2% in the third quarter, selling 777,731 shares and retaining 452,914 shares valued at approximately $117.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 87.75% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: nine analysts rate CME Group a Buy, six rate it Hold, and three rate it Sell. The consensus rating is Hold, with an average price target of $292.94.
• CME Group reported quarterly EPS of $2.99, exceeding the $2.91 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $1.71 billion. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $1.30, equivalent to a 1.8% yield.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lessened its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 63.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 452,914 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 777,731 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. owned approximately 0.13% of CME Group worth $117,814,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of CME Group by 2,075.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. First Community Trust NA acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Bayban bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CME. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $320.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $270.00 to $281.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. TD Cowen upped their target price on CME Group from $292.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of CME Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $286.00 to $270.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $292.94.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William Shepard purchased 293 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $268.76 per share, with a total value of $78,746.68. Following the purchase, the director owned 263,289 shares of the company's stock, valued at $70,761,551.64. This represents a 0.11% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Cook sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.11, for a total transaction of $140,055.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 17,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,018,450.76. The trade was a 2.72% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CME traded up $4.41 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $293.87. The company had a trading volume of 2,180,230 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,887,081. The firm has a market cap of $105.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.93, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $274.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $270.77. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.68 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 63.30%. The company's revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.96 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 12.29 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th were given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 44.11%.

CME Group Profile

CME Group Inc operates global derivatives marketplaces that enable customers to manage risk and trade futures and options contracts. Its exchanges offer products linked to interest rates, equity indexes, foreign currencies, agricultural commodities, energy, metals and other asset classes.

The company also provides central counterparty clearing, settlement and related risk-management services for transactions conducted on its markets. In addition, CME Group offers market data, benchmark products and technology services that support trading, analysis and connectivity for financial institutions, businesses, professional traders and other market participants.

CME Group's history includes the Chicago Board of Trade, founded in 1848, and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, established in 1898.

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