CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Stock Holdings Boosted by Hamlin Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Hamlin Capital Management LLC increased its stake in CME Group Inc. by 1.4% in the first quarter, owning approximately $209.97 million worth of the stock, which makes it the firm's second largest position.
• CME Group reported quarterly earnings of $2.96 per share, surpassing analyst expectations, with revenue of $1.69 billion, an increase of 10.4% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.25 per share, representing a 1.8% yield, to be paid on September 25th to shareholders of record on September 9th.

Hamlin Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 1.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 791,456 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,909 shares during the period. CME Group makes up about 5.0% of Hamlin Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Hamlin Capital Management LLC owned about 0.22% of CME Group worth $209,965,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Heartland Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in CME Group in the first quarter valued at $377,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 256.9% during the first quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,662 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $971,000 after purchasing an additional 2,636 shares during the last quarter. OMNI 360 Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the first quarter worth about $367,000. Fulcrum Equity Management purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the first quarter worth about $258,000. Finally, AIA Group Ltd grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 17.8% during the first quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 16,645 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,416,000 after purchasing an additional 2,510 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CME has been the topic of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer raised their price target on CME Group from $300.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Erste Group Bank lowered CME Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $265.00 to $273.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on CME Group from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $261.93.

CME Group Stock Performance

CME stock traded down $0.78 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $273.92. The stock had a trading volume of 2,055,786 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,086,143. The stock has a market capitalization of $98.72 billion, a PE ratio of 26.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $275.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $267.37. CME Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.16 and a fifty-two week high of $290.79.

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

CME Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 9th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.40%.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other CME Group 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 directly owned 4,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,300,215. This trade represents a 9.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Shepard bought 256 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $270.53 per share, for a total transaction of $69,255.68. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 258,196 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,849,763.88. This trade represents a 0.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,450 shares of company stock worth $676,663. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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.