Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Has $16.07 Million Holdings in CME Group Inc. $CME

Key Points

• Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI reduced its CME Group stake by 7.6% in the first quarter, selling 4,481 shares and leaving it with 54,411 shares valued at about $16.07 million.
• CME Group reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.36 versus estimates of $3.11 and revenue of $1.88 billion, up 14.5% year over year.
• The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, or $5.20 annualized, while analysts currently hold a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $292.12.

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI trimmed its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 7.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 54,411 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 4,481 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI's holdings in CME Group were worth $16,070,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Asset Dedication LLC raised its position in CME Group by 64.9% in the fourth quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 2,075.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Price Performance

CME stock opened at $245.11 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.82 billion, a PE ratio of 20.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.25. The company's 50-day moving average is $257.79 and its 200-day moving average is $281.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $218.31 and a 1 year high of $329.16.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.25. CME Group had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 63.19%.The business had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.80 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 12.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 9th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on CME. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of CME Group from $310.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 6th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of CME Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of CME Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Barclays decreased their price objective on CME Group from $316.00 to $270.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised CME Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $316.00 to $323.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, CME Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $292.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.51, for a total value of $10,447,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 55,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,606,111.30. This trade represents a 38.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Shepard purchased 325 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 25th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $230.57 per share, with a total value of $74,935.25. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 260,442 shares in the company, valued at $60,050,111.94. This represents a 0.12% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

CME Group Company Profile

CME Group Inc is a global markets company that operates some of the world's largest and most liquid derivatives exchanges, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and COMEX. The firm offers futures and options contracts across a broad range of asset classes — including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities and metals — and serves a diverse client base of institutional investors, commercial hedgers, brokers and retail participants.

The company's core services include electronic trading on the CME Globex platform, central clearing through CME Clearing, and distribution of market data, indexes and analytics.

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