Banco Santander S.A. Has $32.65 Million Stock Position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Key Points

• Banco Santander S.A. has reduced its position in CME Group Inc. by 15.9%, now holding 123,085 shares worth approximately $32.65 million.
• Major institutional investors are also adjusting their stakes, with Price T Rowe Associates Inc. increasing its holdings by 89.9% and Bessemer Group Inc. raising its stake by over 4,216% in the recent quarters.
• CME Group reported earnings that exceeded analysts' expectations, posting $2.96 earnings per share and a revenue of $1.69 billion, reflecting a 10.4% increase year-over-year.

Banco Santander S.A. lessened its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 15.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 123,085 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 23,211 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.'s holdings in CME Group were worth $32,653,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in CME Group in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 122.2% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 100 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 612.5% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.35, for a total value of $132,675.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,300,215. This trade represents a 9.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director William R. Shepard bought 256 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 25th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $270.53 per share, for a total transaction of $69,255.68. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 258,196 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,849,763.88. The trade was a 0.10% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 5,750 shares of company stock worth $1,576,294. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on CME shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of CME Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, July 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of CME Group from $223.00 to $211.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $300.00 to $303.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $261.93.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of CME Group stock traded up $6.34 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $287.10. 1,726,168 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,223,672. The company has a market cap of $103.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.99 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $276.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $264.36. CME Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.62 and a fifty-two week high of $290.79.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.68 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 58.48% and a return on equity of 14.60%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.56 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th were given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.40%.

About CME Group

CME Group Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates contract markets for the trading of futures and options on futures contracts worldwide. It offers futures and options products based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, agricultural commodities, energy, and metals, as well as fixed income and foreign currency trading services.