CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Sold by Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC

Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC lowered its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 28.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,050 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 2,000 shares during the period. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC's holdings in CME Group were worth $1,340,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of CME Group by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, United Community Bank acquired a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, Director Howard J. Siegel sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total transaction of $2,600,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,873 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,686,980. This represents a 31.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel G. Kaye sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $282.42, for a total value of $141,210.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,668 shares in the company, valued at $1,035,916.56. This trade represents a 12.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 22,900 shares of company stock valued at $6,147,935 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on CME. UBS Group upped their price objective on CME Group from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $269.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Barclays upped their price objective on CME Group from $279.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on CME Group from $265.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on CME Group from $223.00 to $211.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $258.20.

CME Group Stock Down 0.2%

CME opened at $274.24 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The firm has a market cap of $98.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.36, a PEG ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.45. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $190.70 and a 52 week high of $290.79. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $271.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $252.92.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.61 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $1.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 13.62% and a net margin of 57.52%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.50 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. CME Group's payout ratio is currently 50.30%.

CME Group Company Profile

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.

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