Fifth Third Bancorp Decreases Stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Fifth Third Bancorp lessened its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 4.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 72,398 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,342 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in CME Group were worth $19,206,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Simon Quick Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 23.7% during the 1st quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $500,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the period. Donaldson Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in CME Group by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 230,075 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $61,037,000 after acquiring an additional 6,253 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in CME Group in the 1st quarter worth $230,000. My Legacy Advisors LLC raised its position in CME Group by 2.4% during the first quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 2,384 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $632,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, CX Institutional lifted its holdings in CME Group by 10.1% during the first quarter. CX Institutional now owns 2,876 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $763,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Trading Down 0.5%

NASDAQ:CME traded down $1.46 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $269.50. The company had a trading volume of 1,576,352 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,198,614. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $190.70 and a 1 year high of $290.79. The company has a market cap of $97.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.87, a P/E/G ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a 50-day moving average of $272.44 and a 200 day moving average of $254.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.61 by $0.19. CME Group had a net margin of 57.52% and a return on equity of 13.62%. The firm had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.56 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.50 earnings per share. CME Group's revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.30%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Phyllis M. Lockett sold 1,060 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.88, for a total value of $294,552.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $863,651.04. This trade represents a 25.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Larry G. Gerdes sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.10, for a total value of $528,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 38,651 shares in the company, valued at $10,207,729.10. This represents a 4.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 13,400 shares of company stock valued at $3,680,610. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of CME Group from $265.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Raymond James upgraded CME Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $287.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Barclays increased their target price on CME Group from $279.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on CME Group from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on CME Group from $282.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, CME Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $258.20.

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.