Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Buys 3,612 Shares of CME Group Inc. $CME

Key Points

• Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its holdings in CME Group by 91.7%, acquiring an additional 3,612 shares, bringing their total to 7,550 shares valued at approximately $2.08 million.
• CME Group reported $2.96 earnings per share for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations and showing a year-over-year revenue increase of 10.4%.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.25, leading to an annualized dividend of $5.00, with a payout ratio of 48.4%.

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR grew its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 91.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,550 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 3,612 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR's holdings in CME Group were worth $2,081,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CME. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in CME Group by 24.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,007 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,859,000 after buying an additional 1,381 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of CME Group by 63.0% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 105,044 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,867,000 after purchasing an additional 40,592 shares during the period. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of CME Group by 3.1% during the first quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,533 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $672,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in shares of CME Group by 1.9% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 56,810 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $15,071,000 after purchasing an additional 1,052 shares during the period. Finally, Sowell Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the first quarter worth about $382,000. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of CME Group stock opened at $262.51 on Friday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $267.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $271.28. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $213.94 and a 52-week high of $290.79. The firm has a market cap of $94.60 billion, a PE ratio of 25.41, a P/E/G ratio of 6.16 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02.

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

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 9th were paid a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on CME. Oppenheimer raised their price target on CME Group from $300.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on CME Group from $276.00 to $266.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Raymond James Financial dropped their price target on CME Group from $309.00 to $307.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen lowered CME Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 13th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on CME Group from $283.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $283.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CME Group news, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 392 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.00, for a total value of $102,704.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 7,851 shares in the company, valued at $2,056,962. This trade represents a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Timothy Francis Mccourt sold 379 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.83, for a total value of $98,475.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,508 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,470,463.64. This represents a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,043 shares of company stock valued at $3,527,956 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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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